Question

Brielle and Eduwa have cottages on the ocean, but there is a bay that extends between their two homes so they are unable to determine the direct linear distance between their cottages by simply driving and reading their odometers. Markos' house is on the bay that extends between Brielle and Eduwa's cottages. The angle between Brielle and Eduwa's cottages, when measured from Markos' house, is 43∘. The distance between Markos' house and Brielle's cottage is 3.5 miles. The distance between Markos' house and Eduwa's cottage is 2.8 miles. What is the distance between Brielle and Eduwa's cottages? Drawing a picture will help!

Answer 1

Answer: 2.4 miles

Step-by-step explanation: law of cosines

Let's call the distance between Brielle and Eduwa's cottages x. As the angle btw them is 43°, we can use:

x² = 3.5² + 2.8² - 2*3.5*2.8*cos43

x² = 5.755

x = 2.4 miles