SOLUTION: ABC is a triangle with ∠CAB=15 ∘ and ∠ABC=30 ∘ . If M is the midpoint of AB, Sin then ∠ACM= ?

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Question 1207455: ABC is a triangle with ∠CAB=15

and ∠ABC=30

. If M is the midpoint of AB, Sin then ∠ACM= ?

Found 3 solutions by greenestamps, Edwin McCravy, ikleyn:
Answer by greenestamps(13200) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


What does this mean: "... Sin then ∠ACM= ?"

Re-post, making it clear what the question is.


Answer by Edwin McCravy(20055) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I just ignored "Sin".
  
This problem would be much easier if you could use decimals, but 
decimals are approximate. The answer could only be approximate if we 
use decimals, so we must use exact values.  Maybe some other tutor can 
come up with a shorter solution, but this was the very long solution I 
came up with:



We want to find angle θ 

Without loss of generality we can let AM = MB = 1 unit.

We are going to need expressions for both sine and cosine of 15o.

sin%2815%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22sin%2845%5Eo-30%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22sin%2845%5Eo%29cos%2830%5Eo%29-cos%2845%5Eo%29sin%2830%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%282%29%2F2%29%28sqrt%283%29%2F2%29-%28sqrt%282%29%2F2%29%281%2F2%29%22%22=%22%22sqrt%286%29%2F4-sqrt%282%29%2F4%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29%2F4

cos%2815%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22cos%2845%5Eo-30%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22cos%2845%5Eo%29cos%2830%5Eo%29%2Bsin%2845%5Eo%29sin%2845%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%282%29%2F2%29%28sqrt%283%29%2F2%29%2B%28sqrt%282%29%2F2%29%281%2F2%29%22%22=%22%22sqrt%286%29%2F4%2Bsqrt%282%29%2F4%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%286%29%2Bsqrt%282%29%29%2F4

Angle ACB = 180o-15o-30o = 135o.

By the law of sines on triangle ABC.

AB%2Fsin%28ACB%29%22%22=%22%22AC%2Fsin%28B%29%22%22=%22%22BC%2Fsin%28A%29

AB%2Fsin%28135%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22b%2Fsin%2830%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22a%2Fsin%2815%5Eo%29

2%5E%22%22%2F%281%2Fsqrt%282%29%29%22%22=%22%22b%5E%22%22%2F%281%2F2%29

2%2Asqrt%282%29%22%22=%22%222b

sqrt%282%29%22%22=%22%22b

b%2Fsin%2830%5Eo%29%22%22=%22%22a%2Fsin%2815%5Eo%29

sqrt%282%29%5E%22%22%2F%281%2F2%29%22%22=%22%22a%5E%22%22%2F%28%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29%2F4%29%29

2%2Asqrt%282%29%22%22=%22%224a%2F%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29

sqrt%282%29%22%22=%22%222a%2F%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29
sqrt%282%29%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%5E%22%22%29%22%22=%22%222a
sqrt%2812%29-2%22%22=%22%222a
sqrt%284%2A3%29-2%22%22=%22%222a
2sqrt%283%29-2%22%22=%22%222a
sqrt%283%29-1%22%22=%22%22a

By the law of cosines on triangle ACM

CM%5E2%22%22=%22%22AC%5E2%2BAM%5E2-2%2AAC%2AAM%2Acos%2815%5Eo%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%22b%5E2%2B1%5E2-2%2Ab%2A1%2A%28%28sqrt%286%29%2Bsqrt%282%29%29%2F4%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%282%29%29%5E2%2B1-2%2Asqrt%282%29%2A1%2A%28%28sqrt%286%29%2Bsqrt%282%29%29%2F4%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%222%2B1-sqrt%282%29%28%28sqrt%286%29%2Bsqrt%282%29%29%2F2%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%223-expr%281%2F2%29%2Asqrt%282%29%28sqrt%286%29%2Bsqrt%282%29%5E%22%22%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%223-expr%281%2F2%29%2A%28sqrt%2812%29%2B2%5E%22%22%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%223-expr%281%2F2%29%2A%28sqrt%284%2A3%29%2B2%5E%22%22%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%223-expr%281%2F2%29%2A%282%2Asqrt%283%29%2B2%5E%22%22%29
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%223-sqrt%283%29-1
CM%5E2%22%22=%22%222-sqrt%283%29
CM%22%22=%22%22sqrt%282-sqrt%283%29%29

Now let's see if we can rewrite that so it doesn't have a 
square root under a square root.  We'll see if we can write
it as the difference of 2 square roots:

sqrt%282-sqrt%283%29%29%22%22=%22%22sqrt%28P%29-sqrt%28Q%29
2-sqrt%283%29%22%22=%22%22P-2sqrt%28PQ%29%2BQ
system%282=P%2BQ%2C-sqrt%283%29=-2sqrt%28PQ%29%29=>system%28Q=2-P%2C4PQ=3%29
4P%282-P%29%22%22=%22%223
8P-4P%5E2%22%22=%22%223
0%22%22=%22%224P%5E2-8P%2B3
0%22%22=%22%22%282P-1%29%282P-3%29 => matrix%281%2C3%2CP=1%2F2%2C+or%2C+P=3%2F2%29 => matrix%281%2C3%2CQ=3%2F2%2C+or%2C+Q=1%2F2%29
CM can't be negative, so matrix%281%2C3%2CP=3%2F2%2C+and%2C+Q=1%2F2%29
CM%22%22=%22%22sqrt%283%2F2%29-sqrt%281%2F2%29%22%22=%22%22sqrt%286%2F4%29-sqrt%282%2F4%29%22%22=%22%22+sqrt%286%29%2F2-sqrt%282%29%2F2
CM%22%22=%22%22%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29%2F2

Use the law of sines on triangle ACM:

AM%2Fsin%28theta%29%22%22=%22%22CM%2Fsin%28A%29
1%2Fsin%28theta%29%22%22=%22%22%28%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29%2F2%29%2F%28%28sqrt%286%29-sqrt%282%29%29%2F4%29
1%2Fsin%28theta%29%22%22=%22%224%2F2%22%22=%22%222
sin%28theta%29%22%22=%22%221%2F2
theta%22%22=%22%2230%5Eo

Edwin

Answer by ikleyn(52781) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
ABC is a triangle with ∠CAB=15∘ and ∠ABC=30∘.
If M is the midpoint of AB, find ∠ACM.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


        The solution by Edwin is perfect and deserves admiration.

        My congratulations to Edwin with this great achievement.

        I came to bring a shorter solution.


The given part is shown in Figure 1 below.




                       Figure 1.


Triangle ABC has the angles  A= 15°,  B= 30°  and  C= 180°-15°-30°= 135°.

We want to find angle theta.


Draw perpendicular CH from vertex C to the base AB (Figure 2).




                       Figure 2.


First part of the solution is the same as that of Edwin' solution,

and it shows that a = sqrt%283%29-1, b = sqrt%282%29.


The rest of the solution is different (very simple and totally geometrical).


Triangle BHC is a right-angled triangle with the acute angle B of 30°.
Hence, the opposite leg CH is half of the hypotenuse BC

    CH = a%2F2 = %28sqrt%283%29-1%29%2F2,    (1)


while its other leg BH is  sqrt%283%29%2F2  times the hypotenuse BC

    BH = %28sqrt%283%29%2F2%29%2A%28sqrt%283%29-1%29 = %283-sqrt%283%29%29%2F2.


Then the segment MH is the complement of BH to 1

    MH = 1 - %283-sqrt%283%29%29%2F2 = %282+-+3+%2B+sqrt%283%29%29%2F2 = %28sqrt%283%29-1%29%2F2.    (2)


Comparing expressions (1) and (2), we see that CH = MH.


Hence, right-angled triangle MHC is isosceles right-angled triangle,
which implies that angle MCH is 45°.


Thus  ∠ACM = 135° - 60° - 45° = 30°,


and the problem is solved completely.