[Math] Solve side & angle of triangle from a median, side and angle

triangles

Given a Triangle ABC with 3 Angles ($A, B, C$) and 3 sides ($a, b, c$) and Median $ma$ (from $A$). like image below:

Triangle Image

Problem 1: If we know Angle $A$, length of median $ma$, and side $a$. Is it possible to find one more side ($b$ or $c$) or angle ($B$ or $C$) ?

Problem 2: If we know Angle $B$, length of median $ma$, and side $b$. Is it possible to find one more side ($a$ or $c$) or angle ($A$ or $B$) ?

Best Answer

Think big. Instead of trying to find just one line or one angle, try to find all of them. Or at least relate as many as you can.

For problem one, you know two sides and an angle. The other unknowns are the sides $b$, $c$ and angles $B$, $C$. You'll need at most a system of 4 equations. The law of cosines is useful here.

Triangle ABC gives $$ a^2 = b^2 + c^2 + 2bc\cos A $$ Triangle ABM gives $$ m^2 = b^2 + \left(\frac{a}{2}\right)^2 + ab\cos B $$

Triangle ACM gives $$ m^2 = c^2 + \left(\frac{a}{2}\right)^2 + ac\cos C $$

And of course $$ A + B + C = 180^\circ $$

With $A$, $m$, $a$ known, you have 4 equations in $b,c, B, C$ which can be solved. You don't have to solve this, but it's clear that a solution exists for all 4 variables.

Problem 2 is very much the same, but with different unknown variables.

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