Pythagoras’ theorem and trigonometric ratios worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.Two vertical masts stand on level ground, 40 m apart. One mast is 30 m tall and the other is 50 m tall. Work out the straight-line distance between the tops of the two masts. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

2.In triangle ABC the angle at C is 90°, AC = 8 cm and the angle at A is 30°. Work out the length of BC. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

3.A ladder of length 7 m leans against a vertical wall. The foot of the ladder is 3 m from the base of the wall. Work out how high up the wall the ladder reaches. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

4.A right-angled triangle has its two shorter sides equal to 8 cm and 15 cm. Work out the value of cos θ, where θ is the angle opposite the 8 cm side. Give your answer as a fraction.

5.A line joins the points A(0, 0, 0) and B(9, 12, 8) in a three-dimensional coordinate system in which the z-axis is vertical. Work out the angle this line makes with the horizontal (the xy-plane). Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

6.A cuboid has length 3 cm, width 4 cm and height 12 cm. Work out the length of the diagonal that runs from one corner of the cuboid to the opposite corner.

7.A cube has edges of length 5 cm. Work out the length of the diagonal that runs from one corner of the cube to the opposite corner. Give your answer as a surd in its simplest form.

8.In triangle ABC the angle at C is 90° and the hypotenuse AB is 12 cm. H is the point on AB for which CH is perpendicular to AB, and AH = 3 cm. Work out the length of AC.

9.The top of a clock tower is 25 m above level ground. Oliver stands on the ground 25 m from the foot of the tower. Work out the angle of elevation of the top of the tower from the point where Oliver stands.

10.A zip wire is fixed at an angle of 50° to the horizontal, running from a high platform down to the ground. The zip wire itself, from the platform to the ground, is 12 m long. Work out the horizontal distance covered by the zip wire. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

11.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 29 cm and one shorter side of 20 cm. Work out the length of the other shorter side.

12.A rectangular garden gate is 3 m wide and 4 m high. A straight brace runs from one corner of the gate to the opposite corner. Work out the length of the brace.

13.A right-angled triangle has two sides of length 5 cm and 12 cm, and the angle between those two sides is 90°. Work out the length of the hypotenuse.

14.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 10 cm and one of its other angles is 45°. Work out the length of one of the two shorter sides. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

15.A mast stands vertically on level ground and its top is 60 m above the ground. Amelia and Noah stand on the ground on the same side of the mast, in line with its foot. The angle of elevation of the top of the mast is 30° from where Amelia stands and 60° from where Noah stands. Work out the distance between Amelia and Noah. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.