9 Department of Education

National Capital Region

S CHOOLS DIVIS ION OFFICE
MARIK INA CITY

TRIGONOMETRY
Quarter 2 – Module 10:
Bearings

Writer: Michelle M. Villanueva

Cover Illustrator: Joel J. Estudillo

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 What I Need to Know
Hello Grade 9 learners! In this module, you will learn how to:

solve real life problems involving trigonometric ratios and bearings

You can say that you have understood the lesson in this module if you can already:

1. illustrate what a bearing is

2. find distances between two points using trigonometric ratios and bearings
3. solve real life problems involving trigonometric ratios and bearings

What I Know

Directions: Read each statement carefully. Choose the letter that corresponds to the correct
answer.

For Nos. 1 to 2, refer to Figure on the right.

1. An aircraft flies 160 km from Ninoy Aquino International Airport
along a bearing of 320°. To the nearest kilometer, how far north of
NAIA has it flown?
A. 115 km B. 125 km C. 135 km D. 145 km

2. How far west has the plane from No. 1 flown?

A. 93 km B. 94 km C. 95 km D. 96 km

For Nos. 3 to 5, use the figure on the right. Three towns X, Y, and Z are
located such that X is 8 km north-east of Y while Z is 17 km south-east
of Y.

3. How far is X from Z?

A. 18 km B. 19 km C. 20 km D. 21 km

4. What is the bearing of Y from X?

A. 135° B. 045° C. 340° D. 225°

5. What is the bearing of X from Z?

A. 315° B. 330° C. 45° D. 340°

For Nos. 6 to 8, refer to the figure on the right. 𝐻, 𝐾, and 𝐼 are three
points on level ground such that 𝐻𝐼 = 𝐻𝐾 = 120 m. 𝐼 is due east of 𝐻 and ∠𝐻𝐾𝐼 = 70°.

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6. What is the measure of ∠𝐼𝐻𝐾?
A. 40° B. 50° C. 60° D. 70°

7. What is the bearing of K from I?

A. 180° B. 190° C. 200° D. 210°

8. What is the bearing of H from I?

A.280° B. 270° C. 260° D. 250°

For Nos. 9 to 10, use the figure on the right. The figure shows four
towns T, G, B and J on a map. Given that the bearing of J from T is
120°, ∠𝑇𝐵𝐽 = 30°, ∠𝑇𝐵𝐺 = 40° and 𝑇𝐺 = 7.5 cm.

9. What is the length of TB?

A. 11.4 cm. B. 11.5 cm. C. 11.6 cm. D. 11.7 cm.

10. What is the compass bearing of T from J?

A. 𝑁60°𝑊 B. 𝑁60°𝐸 C. 𝑆60°𝑊 D. 𝑆60°𝐸

LESSON: Bearings

What’s In

The art and science of directing crafts or vehicles from one location to another is
navigation. Directions in terms of bearings are usually given in surveying and navigation.
A bearing measures the acute angle a path or a line of sight makes with a fixed north-
south line. Suppose that your friend is riding a plane and she illustrated her location
using the figure below.

What is her location based on the reference angle

given and direction?

Answer:

Your friend is 55 degrees west of north.

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 What’s New
1. Suppose that the shortest segment measures 3cm from
one point to another. Identify the instructions for the
letters C, O, D, E using the figure.

C – Go 3 cm on a bearing of 120°

O – Go 6 cm on a bearing of 240°

D – Go 3 cm on a bearing of 060°

E – Go 3 cm on a bearing of 300°

2. Make your own code (with four letters) and have it

decoded by another group.

3. Discuss one code and how to decode it.

What is It
We also speak in mathematics about the direction a plane is traveling or the direction a
ship is sailing in. These directions are called bearings, and we can use trigonometry to
solve problems involving bearings, specifically the Pythagorean Theorem and Trigonometric
Ratios.

The True Bearing:

When we talk about bearings (or directions), here are the three things that we should
consider:
1. Bearings are measured from the North
2. Bearings are measured in a clockwise direction.
3. Bearings are given in degrees as a three-digit number.

The diagrams below show the bearing of the point 𝑀 from 𝐺.

Bearing of M from G = 063° Bearing of M from G = 137° Bearing of M from G = 346°

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The Compass Bearing:
The ancient Chinese invented the compass. It is used for the naming directions. Directions
from either the north or from the south are determined by using compass bearings and are
thus always in the form of 𝑁 × ° 𝐸, 𝑁 × ° 𝑊, 𝑆 × ° 𝐸 𝑜𝑟 𝑆 × ° 𝑊.

The diagram shows that the compass

bearing of C from O is 𝑁53°𝐸 and that the
compass bearing of B from O is 𝑆72°𝑊.

Example 1:
The figure shows the positions of three towns 𝐴, 𝐵, and 𝐶. State the true bearings of the
towns from 𝐺.

Solution:
The bearing of A from G = 071°

The bearing of B from G = 125°

The bearing of C from G = 360° − 27°

= 333°

Example 2:
𝑋, 𝑌, and 𝑍 are three towns such that 𝑌 is due east of 𝑋, and 𝑍 is due south of 𝑌. Compute
a) the bearing of 𝑋 from 𝑍, and b) the bearing of 𝑍 from 𝑋.

Solution:

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 a) The bearing of 𝑋 from 𝑍 b) 𝜃 = ∠𝑋𝑌𝑍 = 42° because
= 360° − 42° “If two lines are parallel,
= 318° the alternate interior
angles are congruent.”
Therefore, the bearing of 𝑍
from 𝑋 = 180° − 42° = 138°.

Example 3:
In each of the following figures, find the bearing of M from S.
a) North b) North c) North

Solution:
a) The bearing of M from S b) The bearing of M from S c) The bearing of M from S
= 180° − 39° = 141° = 180° + 24° = 204° = 360° − 13° = 347°

Example 4:
Write down the bearing of S from M in each of the following:
a) North b) North c) North

Solution: Since the bearing is to be taken from M, we draw the north line at M.
North North North

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 a) The bearing of S from M b) Since the bearing of S from c) The bearing of S from
is given by angle 𝛽. M is given by angle 𝛾. M is given by angle 𝜃.
𝛼 = 61° 𝛿 = 18° (alternate int. ∠𝑠) 𝜃 = 31°.
(alternate int. angles of 𝛿 + 𝛾 = 180° (linear pair)
parallel lines cut by a 𝛾 = 180° − 𝛿 The bearing of S
transversal are equal) 𝛾 = 180° − 18° from M is 031°.
Therefore, the bearing of 𝛾 = 162°
S from M The bearing of S from M is
= 180° + 𝛼 162°.
= 180° + 61°
= 241°

Example 5:
Ship 𝐷 is 1185 m west of 𝐹, while 𝐸, due south of 𝐹, has a bearing of 120° from 𝐷. What is
the bearing of 𝐷 from 𝐸? How far is 𝐸 from 𝐹?

Solution:

a) 𝜃 = 180° − 120° = 60°

Therefore, ∠𝐷𝐸𝐹 = 60° (alternate int. ∠s)

The bearing of D from E = 360° − 60° = 300°.

b) ∠𝐸𝐷𝐹 = 90° − 60° = 30°

Using the tangent ratio,

𝐸𝐹 𝐸𝐹
tan 30° = =
𝐷𝐹 1185

𝐸𝐹 = 1185 ⋅ tan 30° = 684 m

Example 6:
Three points G, H, and I are on level ground such that H is due north of G, the bearing of
I from G is 060° and the bearing of I from H is 150°. If the distance between G and H is 170
m, calculate the distance of I from G.

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Solution:

∠𝐺𝐻𝐼 = 180° − 150° = 30°

∴ ∠𝐻𝐼𝐺 = 90°

Using the cosine ratio,

𝐺𝐼
cos 60° = 170 m

𝐺𝐼 = 170 m ⋅ cos 60°

= 85 m

Example 7:
Air-traffic control 𝐿, directs a plane 𝐽, 170 km away along a bearing of 305°. A second plane
𝐾 is 110 km away on a bearing of 215°. How far apart are the planes J from K? What is the
bearing of K from J?

Solution:

∠𝐽𝐿𝐾 = 305° − 215° = 90°

a) Using Pythagorean Theorem,

𝐽𝐾 2 = 1702 + 702
𝐽𝐾 = √33800
≈ 183.8 km

b) Using Tangent Ratio,

70
tan 𝛼 = 170
−1 70
𝛼 = tan ( ) ≈ 22°
170
𝛿 = 360° − 305° = 55°
𝛽 = 180° − 55° = 125°

The bearing of K from J

= 𝛼 + 𝛽 = 22° + 125° = 147°

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Example 8:
An airplane flying at 850 km per hour has a bearing of 058°. After flying 1.7 hours, how far
north and how far east has the plane traveled from its point of departure? Round your
answer to the nearest km.?

Solution:

Speed of airplane = 850 kph

Time taken = 1.7 hours

Speed is equal to distance over time,

𝑑
𝑠=
𝑡
𝑑 =𝑠⋅𝑡
𝑘𝑚
𝑑 = 850 ⋅ 1.7 ℎ
ℎ
𝑑 = 1445 km

To solve for 𝑥, use Sine Ratio: To solve for 𝑦, use Cosine Ratio:
𝑥 𝑦
sin 56° = cos 56° =
1445 km 1445 km
𝑥 = 1445 km ⋅ sin 56° 𝑦 = 1445 km ⋅ sin 56°
𝑥 = 1198 km. 𝑦 = 808 km.

Therefore, the plane has traveled 808 km north and 1198 km east.

Example 9:
A surveyor wishes to find the distance across a pond. The bearing of N from M is 338°. The
surveyor travels 1.3 m from M to O, and the bearing of N from O is 296°. Note: Point P
serves as the North direction. What is the bearing of O from M? What is the distance from
M to N? Round your answers to the nearest tenths.

Solution:

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 𝛽 = 360° − 338° = 22° 𝛿 = 360° − 296° = 64°
𝛼 = 90° − 22° = 68° ∠𝑁𝑂𝑀 = 180° − (𝛼 + 𝛿)
∠𝑁𝑂𝑀 = 180° − (68° + 64°)
The bearing of O from M is 068°. ∠𝑁𝑂𝑀 = 48°

To solve for MN, use Tangent Ratio,

𝑀𝑁 𝑀𝑁
tan ∠𝑁𝑂𝑀 = =
𝑀𝑂 1.3
1.3 ⋅ tan 48° = 𝑀𝑁
𝑀𝑁 ≈ 1.4 m

Example 10:
The bearing of Z from U is N060°E and D from Z is N170°E. What is the bearing of U from
Z? Z from D?

Solution:

The angle 𝛿 and bearing of Z from U (060∘ ) are

supplementary because they are same side interior
angles. Same is true with the bearing of D from Z
(170°).
𝛿 = 180° − 60° = 120°
𝛾 = 180° − 170° = 10°

The bearing of U from Z is given by the angle 𝛼.

𝛼 = 360° − 𝛿
𝛼 = 360° − 120°
𝛼 = 240°

The bearing of Z from D is given by angle 𝛽.

𝛽 = 360° − 𝛾
𝛽 = 360° − 10°
𝛽 = 350°

What’s More
A. State the bearings given by point O from P in each of the following figures.

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 1. 2. 3.

B. State the bearing of each of the following points from E.

4. F

5. B

6. C

C.
7. A forest ranger at point A sights a fire directly north. A second ranger at a point B, 8.4
miles east of A, sights the same fire at a bearing 𝑁 31°15′ 𝑊. How far from A is the fire?
8. An airplane flies 160 km. from an airport in a direction of 150°. How far south of the
airport is the plane then?
9. In a village, the pub is 300m due north of the school, and the church is 300m from
the pub, at a bearing of 060°. What is the bearing of the school from the church?
10. A boat is due South of a lighthouse and sails on a bearing of 292º for 51 km until it is
due West of the lighthouse. How far away is it now from the lighthouse (round off to
the nearest tenths)?

What I Have Learned

Supply the missing word to complete each statement. Use the words in the word bank below.

bearing clockwise compass

counterclockwise east true

A ____________ measures the acute angle a path or a line of sight makes with a fixed north-
south line. The __________ bearing 065° means a ___________ turn from the north while the
__________ bearing 𝑆43°𝐸 means 43 degrees __________ of south.

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 What I Can Do

Goal:
To describe the correlation of bearings in Quantum Mechanical Model.
Role:
You are a scientist.
Audience:
Young students who are interested in the Quantum Mechanical Model.

Situation:
Suppose that you are tasked to create a quantum mechanical model to describe the locations of
each orbital from the nucleus.
Product Performance and Purpose:

Using the given figure, how will you relate “bearings” to the “Quantum Mechanical Model”?
Show a sample computation illustrating such relation.

Standards and Criteria for Success:

 Mathematical Concept Used
 Accuracy of Computation
 Presentation

Rubrics for checking and scoring:

Criteria Excellent Satisfactory Developing Beginning

4 3 2 1
Mathematical Has shown full Has shown Has shown Has few
Concept Used understanding of full some degree of knowledge of the
the concept as understandin understanding concept as

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 evidenced in the g of the of the concept evidenced in the
work presented. concept as as evidenced in work presented.
Also used other evidenced in the work
concepts leading to the work presented.
the same solution. presented.
Accuracy of The computations The The The
Computations were presented computations computations computations
logically and done were were presented were incoherent
accurately. presented logically but and erroneous.
Alternative logically and there were
solution/s leading done minimal errors
to the same answer accurately. in
has been computations.
presented.
Presentation Solution is clear Solution is Solution is Solution is hard
and easy to follow clear and fairly easy to to follow.
and has add-on easy to follow.
features. follow.

Additional Activities

Decode the message by writing the letters on each given compass bearing.

_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____

𝑁54°𝐸 𝑁129°𝐸 𝑆37°𝑊 𝑆10°𝐸 𝑁27°𝑊 𝑁90°𝐸 𝑁73°𝑊

Assessment

Directions: Read each statement carefully. Choose the letter that corresponds to the correct
answer. Use the diagram to answer the following questions.

1. What is the compass bearing of S from G?

A. 𝑁172°𝑊 C. 𝑆172°𝑊
B. 𝑁172°𝐸 D. 𝑆172°𝐸

2. What is the true bearing of W from J?

A. 198° C. 072°
B. 162° D. 018°

3. What is the compass bearing of V from W?

A. 𝑁137°𝐸 C. 𝑆137°𝐸
B. 𝑁223°𝑊 D. 𝑁223°𝐸

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 4. What is the true bearing of G from S?
A. 008° C. 172°
B. 084° D. 162°

5. What is the compass bearing of J from W?

A. 𝑁352°𝑊 C. 𝑁352°𝐸
B. 𝑁223°𝑊 D. 𝑁223°𝐸

Summative Test

Directions: Read each statement carefully. Choose the letter that corresponds to the correct
answer.

For Nos. 1 to 2, refer to Figure on the right.

1. An aircraft flies 160 km from Ninoy Aquino International Airport
along a bearing of 320°. To the nearest kilometer, how far north of
NAIA has it flown?
A. 126 km B. 125 km C. 124 km D. 123 km

2. How far west has the plane from No. 1 flown?

A. 103 km B. 102 km C. 101 km D. 100 km

For Nos. 3 to 5, use the figure on the right. Three towns X, Y, and Z are
located such that X is 8 km north-east of Y while Z is 17 km south-east
of Y.

3. How far is X from Z?

A. 18 km B. 19 km C. 20 km D. 21 km

4. What is the bearing of X from Z?

A. 135° B. 45° C. 340° D. 25°

5. What is the bearing of Y from Z?

A. 315° B. 135° C. 45° D. 340°

For Nos. 6 to 8, refer to the figure on the right. 𝐻, 𝐾, and 𝐼 are three points on level ground
such that 𝐻𝐼 = 𝐻𝐾 = 120 m. 𝐼 is due east of 𝐻 and ∠𝐻𝐾𝐼 = 70°.

6. What is the measure of ∠𝐻𝐼𝐾?

A. 120° B. 70° C. 60° D. 90°

7. What is the bearing of K from H?

A. 70° B. 60° C. 120° D. 130°

8. What is the bearing of H from K?

A.310° B. 320° C. 330° D. 340°

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For Nos. 9 to 10, use the figure on the right. The figure shows four
towns T, G, B and J on a map. Given that the bearing of J from T is
120°, ∠𝑇𝐵𝐽 = 30°, ∠𝑇𝐵𝐺 = 40° and 𝑇𝐺 = 7.5 cm.

9. What is the length of GB?

A. 6.9 cm. B. 7.9 cm. C. 8.9 cm. D. 9.9 cm.

10. What is the compass bearing of G from T?

A. 𝑁130°𝐸 B. 𝑁130°𝑊 C. S130°𝐸 D.𝑆130°𝑊

References

 Bunag, E. S. (2009). Right Triangle Trigonometry. In High School Trigonometry (pp. 63-64).
Makati, Philippines: DIWA Learning Systems.
 Chua, S. L., Gayangos, S. G., Caumeran, M. A., & Coyme, M. A. (2006). Pythagorean
Theorem and Introduction to Trigonometry. In Appreciating Trigonometry (pp. 57-70).
Quezon City, Philippines: Phoenix Publishing House.
 Oronce, O. A., Mendoza, M.O. (2010). Trigonometry. In e-math: Advanced Algebra and
Trigonometry (pp. 303-305). Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.

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