Home / IB Mathematics SL 3.2 Use of sine, cosine and tangent ratios AI SL Paper 2 – Exam Style Questions

IB Mathematics SL 3.2 Use of sine, cosine and tangent ratios AI SL Paper 2 - Exam Style Questions - New Syllabus

Question

The diagram below shows a circular clockface with centre \(O\). The clock’s minute hand has a length of \(10\) cm. The clock’s hour hand has a length of \(6\) cm.
At 4:00 pm the endpoint of the minute hand is at point \(A\) and the endpoint of the hour hand is at point \(B\).
(a) Find the size of angle \( \angle A\widehat{O}B\) in degrees. [2]
(b) Find the distance between points \(A\) and \(B\). [3]
Between 4:00 pm and 4:13 pm, the endpoint of the minute hand rotates through an angle, \(\theta\), from point \(A\) to point \(C\). This is illustrated in the diagram.
(c) Find the size of angle \(\theta\) in degrees. [2]
(d) Calculate the length of arc \(AC\). [2]
(e) Calculate the area of the shaded sector, \(AOC\). [2]
A second clock is illustrated in the diagram below. The clock face has radius \(10\) cm with minute and hour hands both of length \(10\) cm. The time shown is 6:00 am. The bottom of the clock face is located \(3\) cm above a horizontal bookshelf.
(f) Write down the height of the endpoint of the minute hand above the bookshelf at 6:00 am. [1]
The height, \(h\) centimetres, of the endpoint of the minute hand above the bookshelf is modelled by the function \[ h(\theta)=10\cos\theta+13,\quad \theta\ge 0, \] where \(\theta\) is the angle rotated by the minute hand from 6:00 am.
(g) Find the value of \(h\) when \(\theta = 160^\circ\). [2]
The height, \(g\) centimetres, of the endpoint of the hour hand above the bookshelf is modelled by the function \[ g(\theta)=-10\cos\!\left(\frac{\theta}{12}\right)+13,\quad \theta\ge 0, \] where \(\theta\) is the angle in degrees rotated by the minute hand from 6:00 am.
(h) Write down the amplitude of \(g(\theta)\). [1]
The endpoints of the minute hand and hour hand meet when \(\theta=k\).
(i) Find the smallest possible value of \(k\). [2]
▶️ Answer/Explanation (Detailed working)
Markscheme

(a) A full turn is \(360^\circ\) and there are 12 hour marks, so each hour mark is \(360^\circ/12=30^\circ\). From 12 to 4 is 4 hour marks: \[ \angle A\widehat{O}B = 4\times 30^\circ=\boxed{120^\circ}. \] 

(b) Triangle \(AOB\) has sides \(OA=10\), \(OB=6\), included angle \(120^\circ\). By the cosine rule, \[ AB^2 = 10^2+6^2 – 2(10)(6)\cos 120^\circ = 100+36 -120\left(-\tfrac{1}{2}\right) = 136 + 60 = 196. \] Hence \(AB=\sqrt{196}=\boxed{14\text{ cm}}.\) M1 A1 A1

(c) In 13 minutes, the minute hand turns \[ \theta = \frac{13}{60}\times 360^\circ = \boxed{78^\circ}. \] M1 A1

(d) Arc length formula (degree measure): \( \ell = \dfrac{\theta}{360^\circ}\,2\pi r\). With \(r=10\), \(\theta=78^\circ\), \[ \ell = \frac{78}{360}\cdot 2\pi\cdot 10 = \frac{13}{60}\cdot 20\pi = \frac{13}{3}\pi \approx \boxed{13.6135\text{ cm}}. \] (Exact form \(\frac{13}{3}\pi\) cm.) M1 A1

(e) Sector area (degree measure): \( A = \dfrac{\theta}{360^\circ}\pi r^2\). With \(r=10\), \(\theta=78^\circ\), \[ A = \frac{78}{360}\cdot \pi\cdot 10^2 = \frac{13}{60}\cdot 100\pi = \frac{65}{3}\pi \approx \boxed{68.0678\text{ cm}^2}. \] M1 A1

(f) At 6:00, the minute hand points straight up to the top of the circle. The centre of the clock is \(10\) cm above the bottom of the face; since the bottom of the face is 3 cm above the shelf, the centre is \(10+3=13\) cm above the shelf. The minute-hand endpoint is a further \(10\) cm above the centre: \[ \text{height} = 13 + 10 = \boxed{23\text{ cm}}. \]

(g) Substitute \(\theta=160^\circ\) into \(h(\theta)=10\cos\theta+13\): \[ h(160^\circ)=10\cos 160^\circ + 13 = 10\cos(180^\circ-20^\circ)+13 = 10(-\cos 20^\circ)+13 \approx 10(-0.9396926)+13 \approx \boxed{3.60\text{ cm}}. \] M1 A

(h) From \(g(\theta)=-10\cos(\theta/12)+13\), the amplitude is the absolute value of the cosine coefficient: \(\boxed{10}\). A1

(i) The endpoints meet when their heights are equal: \[ h(\theta)=g(\theta) \;\Longrightarrow\; 10\cos\theta+13 = -10\cos\!\Big(\tfrac{\theta}{12}\Big)+13 \;\Longrightarrow\; \cos\theta = -\cos\!\Big(\tfrac{\theta}{12}\Big). \] Using \(-\cos\alpha = \cos(180^\circ-\alpha)\), one solution family is \[ \cos\theta = \cos\!\Big(180^\circ – \tfrac{\theta}{12}\Big) \;\Rightarrow\; \theta = 180^\circ – \tfrac{\theta}{12} + 360^\circ m. \] For the smallest positive \(\theta\) take \(m=0\): \[ \theta + \frac{\theta}{12} = 180^\circ \;\Rightarrow\; \frac{13}{12}\theta = 180^\circ \;\Rightarrow\; \theta = \boxed{\frac{2160^\circ}{13} \;\approx\; 166.15^\circ }. \] (This is the least positive intersection after 6:00.) M1 A1

Total Marks: 17
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