Saturday 28 December 2013

geometry - The Sine Law: A Simplified Criterion for the Ambiguous Case?

Here is my suggestion for an issue that doesn't seem to be handled well in any online notes that I have seen. Can anyone give a counter-example?





If you are given $a,b,$ and $B$ in $\triangle ABC$ (using the standard trig naming conventions) and you are using the Sine Law to solve for $A$ in $\frac{a}{\sin A}=\frac{b}{\sin B}$, then you would have a so-called Ambiguous Case if and only if $b



In that case, calculate the first value $A_1=\sin^{-1}(\frac{a \cdot \sin B}{b})$. Calculate the second value $A_2=180^\circ - A_1$.






Follow-up



Based on discussions here and elsewhere, here is my corrected version of the criterion:





If you are given $a,b,$ and $B$ in $\triangle ABC$ (using the standard trig naming conventions) and you are using the Sine Law to solve for $A$ in $\frac{a}{\sin A}=\frac{b}{\sin B}$, then you would obtain at least one solution $A_1=\sin^{-1}(\frac{a \cdot \sin B}{b})$. And you would have a so-called Ambiguous Case if and only if $A_1\ne 90^\circ$ and $b\lt a$.




In that case, you would have a second solution $A_2=180^\circ - A_1$.

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