Lesson 1 George W. Ferris’ Day Off Develop Understanding
Jump Start
Find the following trigonometric ratios and angles for the given triangle:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Learning Focus
Apply right triangle trigonometry to a circular context.
How can right triangle trigonometry be applied to find how far points on a circle are away from a horizontal diameter of the circle?
Open Up the Math: Launch, Explore, Discuss
Perhaps you have enjoyed riding on a Ferris wheel at an amusement park. The Ferris wheel was invented by George Washington Ferris for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Carlos, Clarita, and their friends are celebrating the end of the school year at a local amusement park. Carlos has always been afraid of heights, but today he has chosen to ride on the amusement park Ferris wheel with his friends. As Carlos waits nervously in line, he has been able to gather some information about the wheel. By asking the ride operator, he found out that this wheel has a radius of
1.
How high above the ground will Carlos be when he is at the top of the wheel? (To make things easier, think of his location as a point on the circumference of the wheel’s circular path.)
2.
How high will he be when he is at the bottom of the wheel?
3.
How high will he be when he is at the positions farthest to the left or the right on the wheel?
Because the wheel has ten spokes, Carlos wonders if he can determine the height of the positions at the ends of each of the spokes as shown in the diagram. Carlos has just finished studying right triangle trigonometry and wonders if that knowledge can help him.
4.
Find the height of each of the points labeled
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Height at
Pause and Reflect
5.
Describe a general procedure for finding how far a point on a circle is above or below the center of the circle.
Ready for More?
Describe a general strategy or formula for finding the vertical distance above the ground at any endpoint of a spoke of a Ferris wheel if the wheel has
What facts about the wheel do you need to know to do this? Make up your own values for quantities you need to know.
Takeaways
The right triangles we have drawn in the circles today are called reference right triangles.
To find how far a point on a circle is located above or below the center of a circle:
A general rule for finding the height above the ground of a rider on Carlos’s Ferris wheel is:
Vocabulary
- reference triangle
- vertical height
- Bold terms are new in this lesson.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, we learned how to place reference right triangles on a circle in order to find the distance a point on the circle is above or below the center of the circle. This is useful for finding the height above ground of a point on a circular object like a bicycle tire or a Ferris wheel.
1.
Find the other two trigonometric ratios based on the one that is given.
a.
b.
2.
In problem a, divide out all common factors. In problem b, multiply. Divide out all common factors in your answer. (Assume no denominator equals