Geometry - Solving 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): c² = a² + b².

Front

What are the three sides of a right triangle called?

Back

The three sides are called the hypotenuse (the longest side), the opposite side (the side opposite the angle of interest), and the adjacent side (the side next to the angle of interest).

Front

What is SOH CAH TOA?

Back

SOH CAH TOA is a mnemonic to remember the definitions of the sine, cosine, and tangent functions: SOH = Sine = Opposite/Hypotenuse, CAH = Cosine = Adjacent/Hypotenuse, TOA = Tangent = Opposite/Adjacent.

Front

How do you find the sine of an angle in a right triangle?

Back

The sine of an angle is found by dividing the length of the opposite side by the length of the hypotenuse.

Front

How do you find the cosine of an angle in a right triangle?

Back

The cosine of an angle is found by dividing the length of the adjacent side by the length of the hypotenuse.

Front

How do you find the tangent of an angle in a right triangle?

Back

The tangent of an angle is found by dividing the length of the opposite side by the length of the adjacent side.

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 add up to 90 degrees.

Front

If one angle in a right triangle is 30 degrees, what is the other non-right angle?

Back

The other non-right angle would be 60 degrees, since 90 + 30 = 120, and 180 - 120 = 60.

Front

What is the formula to find the area of a right triangle?

Back

The area of a right triangle can be found using the formula: Area = (1/2) * base * height.