Physics lab assignment – trigonometric measurements

Lab Report Name: ____________________

Section: ___________________

Data Tables:

Procedure 1:

Experimental measurement of the angles and sides of a right triangle:

	Side “a” (cm)	Side “b” (cm)	Side “c” (cm)	Angle “A”	Angle “B”
Measurements	59 ½ cm	41.6 cm	72.5 cm	55 degrees	35 degrees

Procedure 2:

Determination of the sides of a right triangle when the hypotenuse and one angle are measured:

	Hypotenuse “c”	Angle “B”
Measurement	70 cm	30

Procedure 3:

Determination of the hypotenuse and angles of a right triangle when the sides are measured:

	Side “a”	Side “b”
Measurement (cm)	45	35

Procedure 4:

Indirect measurements of heights by trigonometry

Questions:

A. Draw a triangle with sides measuring 8, 12, and 14.4 units. With a protractor measure the angles. Then compute the angles trigonometrically.

B. What would happen in your previous experiments if the wall or building were not perpendicular to the ground?

C. What uncertainty is introduced into the experiment by using a tape measure to measure the sides of the triangle?

D. To what degree of accuracy can you read a protractor?