Geometry and measures worksheet — GCSE Higher

1.A student is asked to rearrange the cosine rule a² = b² + c² − 2bc cos A to make cos A the subject. They write: cos A = (a² − b² − c²) / (2bc). Is the student's rearrangement correct?

2.A solid is built from centimetre cubes standing on a table. Seen from the front, the left-hand column is 2 cubes high, the middle column is 2 cubes high and the right-hand column is 1 cube high. Work out how many squares make up the front elevation.

3.A solid has 5 faces, 9 edges and 6 vertices. Two of its faces are triangles and the other three are rectangles. Which solid is it?

4.A right-angled triangle has a hypotenuse of 10 cm. One of its other angles is 45°. Work out the exact length of one of the two shorter sides.

5.A pinhole camera is set up at a pitch-side stand, with its aperture at the point O = (2, 1) on a grid. Light from the corner F of a triangular flag, at the point (4, 2), passes through the aperture and forms an inverted image on the film behind it. The projection is an enlargement of scale factor −1.5 centred at O. Work out the coordinates of the image of corner F.

6.A shape is translated by the vector (5, −3), and the image is then translated by the vector (−5, 3). Which single transformation has the same overall effect as this combination, for every point?

7.Shape S is enlarged by a scale factor of −3 about a fixed centre. Which statement correctly describes the image compared to the original shape?

8.Which of the following is the correct definition of a regular polygon?

9.A, B and C are points on a circle with centre O, and AC is a diameter of the circle. Work out the size of angle ABC.

10.A circular decoration has a radius of 10 cm. A ribbon costs £0.50 per centimetre and is fixed along the curved edge (the arc) of a sector-shaped section with an angle of 90°. Using π = 3.14, work out the cost of the ribbon for this section.

11.A regular pentagon has centre O. Each vertex is 8 cm from O, and each of the 5 triangles formed by joining O to the vertices is isosceles with an angle of 72° at O. Work out the area of the pentagon. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

12.A landscaper marks out two triangular flower beds using stakes and a tape measure. Bed 1 has two edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner with a marked angle of 60° between them. Bed 2 has edges of 5 m and 7 m, meeting at a corner also marked at 60° between them. The landscaper wants to check the two beds will be exactly the same size and shape using only these three measurements. Which condition proves the two beds are congruent?

13.A cylinder has a radius of 5 cm. Its volume is 471 cm³. Using π = 3.14, work out the height of the cylinder.

14.Triangle ABC has AB = 10 cm, BC = 7 cm and angle A = 40°. Triangle DEF has DE = 10 cm, EF = 7 cm and angle D = 40°. Sam says the two triangles are congruent by SAS. Which statement about Sam's claim is correct?

15.Two hikers walk from a campsite A to a lookout B, a distance of 14 km on a bearing of 038°. From B they walk to a shelter C, a distance of 20 km on a bearing of 142°. Work out the direct distance from A to C. Give your answer to 1 decimal place.