20+Right+Triangle+Trig+(Angle+Measure)

Right Triangle Trig to find Angle Measures By: Lauren Kostman, Kevin Bae, Michael Pansini, and Katya Lipovetsky

To find the angle measures of a right triangle the use of trigonometry is necessary. These equations will require the use of the negative sin, tan, and cos buttons on a graphing calculator. An easy way to remember how to solve these equations is to memorize SOHCAHTOA. This acronym stands for sin is opposite and hypotenuse, cos is adjacent side and hypotenuse, and lastly tan is the opposite side and adjacent side. Using this short cut one can find the missing angle by using these functions in the negative form and plugging in the sides that are given. Below are the steps to finding the missing angle and a plethora of examples ☺ enjoy. (Katya Lipovetsky)

Sources: http://zonalandeducation.com/mmts/trigonometryRealms/introduction/rightTriangle/trigRightTriangle.html (Michael Pansini) http://www.mathwords.com/s/sohcahtoa.htm (Michael Pansini) http://webmath.com/rtri.html (Michael Pansini)

Sample Problems: solve the following using inverse sine, cosine, or tangent. Example 1: Example 2:

Example 3:

Sine A = opposite leg / hypotenuse Cosine A = adjacent leg / hypotenuse Tangent A = opposite leg/ adjacent leg

Rules:
 * These formulas ONLY work with RIGHT TRIANGLES
 * The hypotenuse is always across from the right angle

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