Question

If α=30°
and a=9
, determine the measures for b
that will result in one nonright triangle, no triangle, and two triangles. Round b
values to the nearest hundredth as needed.

A. One nonright triangle exists when b≤
.

B. No triangles exist when b>
.

C. Two triangles exist when
<b<
.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
To determine the measures for \( b \) that result in one nonright triangle, no triangle, and two triangles, we can use the Law of Sines.

Given:
- \( α = 30° \)
- \( a = 9 \)

### A. Determine b for one nonright triangle:

Using the Law of Sines:

\[
\frac{a}{\sin A} = \frac{b}{\sin B}
\]

Let’s denote \( B \) as the angle opposite side \( b \). From the Law of Sines, we have:

\[
\frac{9}{\sin 30°} = \frac{b}{\sin B}
\]

Since \( \sin 30° = \frac{1}{2} \):

\[
\frac{9}{\frac{1}{2}} = \frac{b}{\sin B}
\]

\[
18 = \frac{b}{\sin B}
\]

\[
b = 18 \sin B
\]

### 1. **One non-right triangle:**
For one non-right triangle, there must be a unique angle \( B \) such that \( 0 < B < 180° \) and the sine function is positive:

\[
b \leq 18 \quad (\text{when } B=90°)
\]

So,

\[\text{A. One nonright triangle exists when } b \leq 18. \]

---

### B. Determine b for no triangles:

For no triangle scenario, we use the fact that if side \( b \) is too short to form a triangle opposite \( A \), we check for that condition:

1. When \( b \) is less than the height from \( A \) to side \( a \):
- The height can be calculated using the formula:
\[
h = a \sin A = 9 \sin 30° = 9 \cdot \frac{1}{2} = 4.5
\]

Thus, for no triangle, we need \( b < 4.5 \).

2. However, if \( b \) goes beyond a certain value, it also results in no triangle. For that, we look at \( b \) where it is larger than the longest side, which in our case is \( a \) (since \( a = 9 \)):
- If \( b > 9 \): Triangle inequality fails

Putting this together, the critical no triangle case comes from:

\[\text{B. No triangles exist when } b > 9. \]

---

### C. Determine b for two triangles:

For two triangles, b must satisfy the conditions of the Ambiguous Case (SSA) in the Law of Sines. This occurs when \( b \) lies between the height of the triangle and the length of side \( a \):

1. From our previous calculation:
- \( b > 4.5 \) gives one possible triangle but is still ambiguous at certain values.

2. And it must also be less than the maximum boundary to create two triangles:

That is, \( 4.5 < b < 9 \).

Thus, rounding the values to the nearest hundredth:

\[\text{C. Two triangles exist when } 4.50 < b < 9.00. \]

### Summary of Responses:
- A: One nonright triangle exists when \( b \leq 18 \).
- B: No triangles exist when \( b > 9 \).
- C: Two triangles exist when \( 4.50 < b < 9.00 \).