BEARING AND ANGULAR DISTANCE
Group
5 :Elizabeth,Teninlanimi,Fatimah,Mozeedat.
What is bearing?
• In mathematics, bearings are used to describe angles and
directions from one point to another, commonly measured
clockwise from the north. Bearings can be applied in
navigation, trigonometry, and geometry.
• Bearing is used to give directions in terms of three-digit
angles and various formats such as:
• True bearings
• Compass bearings.
Understanding Bearings:
• Bearings indicate directions by using angles measured
clockwise from the north line, ranging from 000° to 360°.
Directions such as due North, East, South, and West
correspond to bearings of 000°, 090°, 180°, and 270°,
respectively
• A bearing of 000° means due North.
• A bearing of 090° means due East.
•
• A bearing of 180° means due South.
•
• A bearing of 270° means due West.
Types of bearing
• True Bearings: These are measured clockwise from North
and always expressed as a three-digit number, like 045°
or 225°.
• Compass Bearings: These are stated with North or South
first, followed by an angle less than 90°, and end with
East or West, making everyday directions easier to follow,
such as N30°E or S60°W.
Bearings in Trigonometry
• They aid in solving problems involving distances and
angles by using trigonometric principles like sine, cosine,
and Pythagoras' Theorem. For precise navigation,
bearings help in breaking journeys into vector
components to calculate displacement.
Geometrical Applications:
Bearings are used to define angles between lines, express
vector directions, and resolve triangles formed by paths and
bearings, making them crucial in geometric calculations.
Common Mistakes
• Errors include;
• Measuring from East or South
• Omitting digits in true bearings
• Mixing up compass bearings with other angle measures.
• This is a table of all we have discussed todan
Type Format Example Meaning
135° clockwise from North
True Bearing 3-digit angle 135°
(SE)
Compass Bearing N/S θ° E/W N60°E 60° East of North
Due North 000° or 360° 000° Directly North
Due East 090° 090° Directly East
Southwest Direction 225° or S45°W S45°W 45° West of South
examples include
• converting compass bearing to true bearing
• Question:
• Convert the compass bearing N30°E into a true bearing.
• Solution:
•
• Start from North (0°) and move 30° toward the East.
•
•
• So, true bearing = 0° + 30° = 030°
•
• ✅ Answer: 030°
• Example 2: Convert True Bearing to Compass Bearing
• Question:
• Convert a true bearing of 225° to a compass bearing.
• Solution:
•
• 225° lies between 180° (South) and 270° (West).
• From South, 225° – 180° = 45° toward the West.
•
• ✅ Answer: S45°W
• : Determine the Direction Between Two Points
• Scenario:
• A person walks 6 km due East, then 8 km due North. What is the bearing from the starting point to the
final position?
• Step 1: Draw a right triangle
• Horizontal leg (East): 6 km
• Vertical leg (North): 8 km
• Step 2: Find the angle from East to North using tan
• tan(θ)=86=1.333⇒θ≈tan−1(1.333)≈53.13°\tan(\theta) = \frac{8}{6} = 1.333 \Rightarrow \theta ≈ \tan^{-1}
(1.333) ≈ 53.13°
• Since the person ends up northeast, bearing is measured clockwise from North:
• Bearing=90°–53.13°=36.87°\text{Bearing} = 90° – 53.13° = 36.87°
• Answer: Bearing is approximately 036.9° (True Bearing)
• Example 4: Trigonometric Problem Involving Bearings
• Scenario:
• A ship sails 12 km on a bearing of 045°, then 10 km on a bearing of 135°.
• Find:
• a) The total displacement from the starting point
• b) The final bearing from the start
• ✏️Step 1: Break into components
• First leg (045°):
• North component: 12cos(45°)=12×0.7071≈8.4912 \cos(45°) = 12 × 0.7071 ≈ 8.49 km
• East component: 12sin(45°)=12×0.7071≈8.4912 \sin(45°) = 12 × 0.7071 ≈ 8.49 km
• Second leg (135°):
• South component: 10cos(45°)=10×0.7071≈7.0710 \cos(45°) = 10 × 0.7071 ≈ 7.07 km
• East component: 10sin(45°)=10×0.7071≈7.0710 \sin(45°) = 10 × 0.7071 ≈ 7.07 km
• ✏️Step 2: Total displacement components
• ✏️Step 2: Total displacement components
• Net North = 8.49 – 7.07 = 1.42 km North
• Net East = 8.49 + 7.07 = 15.56 km East
• ✏️Step 3: Find the magnitude of the displacement
• Displacement=1.422+15.562≈2.02+242.2≈244.22≈15.63 km\text{Displacement} = \sqrt{1.42^2 +
15.56^2} ≈ \sqrt{2.02 + 242.2} ≈ \sqrt{244.22} ≈ 15.63 \text{ km}
• ✏️Step 4: Find the angle from North using tan
• tan(θ)=15.561.42≈10.96⇒θ≈tan−1(10.96)≈84.8°\tan(\theta) = \frac{15.56}{1.42} ≈ 10.96 \Rightarrow \
theta ≈ \tan^{-1}(10.96) ≈ 84.8°
• Since the final position is mostly East, bearing is:
• Bearing=090°–84.8°=5.2°\text{Bearing} = 090° – 84.8° = 5.2°
• Measured clockwise from North:
• True Bearing=000°+84.8°=084.8°\text{True Bearing} = 000° + 84.8° = 084.8°
• ✅ a) Displacement ≈ 15.63 km
• ✅ b) Bearing ≈ 085°
•