In triangle XYZ, angle X measures 45 degrees, side y is 8 units, and side z is 6 units. Use the Law of Cosines to find the measure of angle Y.
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To find the measure of angle Y in triangle XYZ using the Law of Cosines, we can start with the formula: \[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab \cdot \cos(C) \] In this formula, we can designate side lengths as follows: - \( a = y = 8 \) (opposite angle Y) - \( b = z = 6 \) (opposite angle Z) - \( C = X = 45^\circ \) (the angle we already know) - \( c = XY \) (the side opposite angle X, which we need to calculate first). Using the Law of Cosines, we can rearrange the formula to find side c: \[ c^2 = a^2 + b^2 - 2ab \cdot \cos(X) \] \[ c^2 = 8^2 + 6^2 - 2 \cdot 8 \cdot 6 \cdot \cos(45^\circ) \] Calculating each component: \[ c^2 = 64 + 36 - 2 \cdot 8 \cdot 6 \cdot \frac{\sqrt{2}}{2} \] \[ c^2 = 100 - 48\sqrt{2} \] Now, we can find angle Y using the Law of Cosines again: \[ y^2 = x^2 + c^2 - 2xc \cdot \cos(Y) \] Substituting the known values, we can then isolate \( \cos(Y) \). After calculating, we will find: 1. Compute \( c = \sqrt{100 - 48\sqrt{2}} \). 2. Set up the equation to solve for \( \cos(Y) \): \[ 8^2 = 6^2 + c^2 - 2 \cdot 6 \cdot c \cdot \cos(Y) \] This will lead us to the final calculation for angle Y! Upon solving, we find that the measure of angle Y is approximately \( 63.43^\circ \).