In , let . If , , and . What is the value of ?
Note: . You can use a scientific calculator.
HINT : is a prime number.
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By the law of cosines, ( A B ) 2 + ( B C ) 2 − 2 ( A B ) ( B C ) cos ( θ ) = ( A C ) 2 which means ( 2 1 cos ( θ ) + 2 ) 2 + ( 5 6 cos ( θ ) − 1 ) 2 − 2 ( 2 1 cos ( θ ) + 2 ) ( 5 6 cos ( θ ) − 1 ) cos ( θ ) = ( 6 3 cos ( θ ) − 1 ) 2 . By simplification, − 2 3 5 2 cos ( θ ) 3 − 5 7 4 cos ( θ ) 2 + 1 0 2 cos ( θ ) + 4 = 0 . Let A = cos ( θ ) : The equation becomes − 2 3 5 2 A 3 − 5 7 4 A 2 + 1 0 2 A + 4 = 0 . The roots of the equation in terms of A are factors of − 5 8 8 1 . Since the reciprocal of cos ( θ ) is sec ( θ ) , and sec ( θ ) is prime, cos ( θ ) is the reciprocal of a prime. Because cos ( θ ) > 0 , sec ( θ ) has to be a positive prime factor of 5 8 8 . The prime factorization of 5 8 8 is 2 ∗ 2 ∗ 3 ∗ 7 ∗ 7 . Since sec ( θ ) is prime, sec ( θ ) is either 2 , 3 , or 7 . Testing the reciprocals of these, 7 1 is the only one that works. Thus, 5 sec ( θ ) = 5 ∗ 7 = 3 5 which is the final answer.