A triangle has sides of length 8 cm, 10 cm and 14 cm. Work out the size of the largest angle of the triangle. Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

Utilising the cosine rule: c² = a² + b² - 2abcosC, substitute in the given lengths. We therefore get that 14² = 10² + 8² − 2 × 10 × 8 × cosA . Expanding this expression we then get that 196 = 164 - 160cosA. Then, rearranging the equation gives us that cosA = -1/5. Inputting this into the calculator gives us that A = 101.5 degrees (to one decimal place). We know that this is the largest angle in the triangle since the sum of the angles in a triangle is 180 degrees. 101.5 > 78.5, therefore the answer is correct.

JK
Answered by Josephine K. Maths tutor

18708 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Find the highest common factor of 432 and 522


The straight line joining the points (1, -2a),(a, 1) has a gradient of 5, find the value of a


Find the opposite length of the triangle with hypotenuse length 5 and adjacent length 4.


A new car costs £12,000. It decreases in value by 5% each year for the first 5 years and then increases in value by 2% after that. How much does it cost after 7 years?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning