Mrs. B's Right Triangle Trigonometry

Front

What is a right triangle?

Back

A right triangle is a triangle that has one angle measuring 90 degrees.

Front

What is the Pythagorean theorem?

Back

The Pythagorean theorem states that in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse (c) is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides (a and b): c² = a² + b².

Front

What is the sine function?

Back

The sine function (sin) is a trigonometric function that relates the angle of a right triangle to the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the hypotenuse.

Front

What is the cosine function?

Back

The cosine function (cos) is a trigonometric function that relates the angle of a right triangle to the ratio of the length of the adjacent side to the length of the hypotenuse.

Front

What is the tangent function?

Back

The tangent function (tan) is a trigonometric function that relates the angle of a right triangle to the ratio of the length of the opposite side to the length of the adjacent side.

Front

How do you find sinA in a right triangle?

Back

To find sinA, divide the length of the side opposite angle A by the length of the hypotenuse.

Front

If one side of a right triangle is 32 and the hypotenuse is 40, what is sinA?

Back

sinA = 32/40 = 0.8.

Front

What is the relationship between sine and cosine in a right triangle?

Back

In a right triangle, sinA = cos(90° - A). This means the sine of an angle is equal to the cosine of its complement.

Front

What is the value of the hypotenuse if the other two sides are 24 and 32?

Back

Using the Pythagorean theorem: c² = 24² + 32²; c = √(576 + 1024) = √1600 = 40.

Front

What is the formula for finding the length of a side using sine?

Back

If you know an angle and the hypotenuse, you can find the opposite side using: opposite = hypotenuse * sin(angle).