Right Triangle Trigonometry Problems

Which of these is correctly set up?

Solve for the missing angle.

• 50

• 0.053

• 36.9

• 95

Solve for the missing distance.

• 18.9

• 19.5

• 47

• 27.5

A yacht is anchored 90 feet offshore from the base of a lighthouse.  The angle of elevation from the boat to the top of the lighthouse is 26 degrees.  The distance between the yacht and the top of the lighthouse is about 100 feet.  Which of these is closest to the height of the lighthouse? 

• 25 feet

• 45 feet 

• 110 feet 

• 135 feet 

Which equation could be used to find the measure of one acute angle in the right triangle at the right?

• tanB = 14/9 

• cosA = 9/14

• tanB = 9/14

• sinA = 9/14

The bottom of a 13-foot straight ladder is set into the ground 5 feet away from a wall. When the top of the ladder is leaned against the wall, what is the distance above the ground it will reach?

• 12 feet

• 13.9 feet

EXAMPLE 1: The Bungling Brothers Circus is in town and you are part of the crew that is setting up its enormous tent. The center pole that holds up the tent is 70 feet tall. To keep it upright, a support cable needs to be attached to the top of the pole so that the cable forms a 60 degree angle with the ground.

How long is the cable? Round to the nearest hundredth of a foot.

If I know the lengths of TWO sides of a RIGHT triangle then I can find the length of the third side.

• TRUE; using Pythagorean Theorem

• False; you would need information on an angle or two.

Find the length of the missing side. 

• 17 cm

• 22 cm

• 15 cm

• 13 cm

Susan is flying a kite, which gets caught in the top of a tree.  Use the diagram to estimate the height of the tree. 

• 63 ft

• 65 ft

• 74 ft

• 87 ft