When the area of a triangle with known sides and and unknown third side is specified
MATHEMATICS · Multi-part · A Level · Mathematics · Algebra and Functions · Algebra and Functions
Problem
When the area Δ of a triangle with known sides a and b and unknown third side c is specified, application of the area formula leads to a quadratic equation in c.
(i) In not more than four lines, explain why the equation obtained is quadratic in c.
(ii) Give two distinct geometrical reasons why, after solving the quadratic equation, one of the roots may have to be rejected while choosing the value of c.