How do you find 2 missing sides of a right triangle? - Answers

Two methods to try . #1 Use pythagoras h^ = a^2 + a^2 NB THis is only good if you know that the two unknown sides are the same length. #2 Use trigonometry (trig.) This is good if you know the hypotenuse and one of the angles. Sine(angle) = opposite/ hypotenuse Hence opposite side = hypotenuse X sine(angle) Similarly Cosine(angle) = adjacent / hypotenuse. adjacent side = hypotenuse X Cosine(angle) Here is an example If you known the hypotenuse is a length of '6' and the angle is 30 degrees. Then opposite = 6 X Sin(30) opposite = 6 x 0.5 = 3 So the length of the oppisute sides is '3' units. NB DO NOT make the mistakes of saying Sin(6 X 30) = Sin(180) Nor 6 x 30 , nor Sin(6) X 30 , nor any other combination. You MUST find the SINE of the angle , then multiply it to the given length. Similarly for Cosine and Tangent.