Finding Missing Sides and Angles in Right Triangles

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): a² + b² = c².

Front

How do you find the length of a missing side in a right triangle?

Back

Use the Pythagorean theorem: if you know the lengths of two sides, you can find the third side.

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 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 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 adjacent side.

Front

How do you calculate the angle in a right triangle using trigonometric functions?

Back

Use the inverse trigonometric functions: sin⁻¹, cos⁻¹, or tan⁻¹, depending on the known sides.

Front

What is the relationship between the angles in a right triangle?

Back

The sum of the angles in any triangle is 180 degrees. In a right triangle, the two non-right angles must sum to 90 degrees.

Front

What is the hypotenuse in a right triangle?

Back

The hypotenuse is the longest side of a right triangle, opposite the right angle.

Front

What is an adjacent side in a right triangle?

Back

The adjacent side is the side next to the angle of interest in a right triangle.