How to find the missing side of a right triangle:

To find the missing side of a right triangle, there are two methods.

The first method and the one I will review today is using trigonometry:

The first step to find the missing side of a right triangle is labeling the sides of the triangle, you have to label the hypotenuse, the opposite side, and the adjacent side. You have to localize the reference angle to be able to label it.

*Remember, the hypotenuse is the largest side of the triangle and it is always across the 90 degrees angle. The adjacent side is directly besides the reference angle, and the opposite side is across the reference angle*

The next step is determining which trigonometric radio, you can use:

Sine, Cosine, or Tangent are the trigonometric radios we will be using.

*A tip to remember the formulas of the different radios is using an acronym, SOH CAH TOA, with this you will remember that Sine is Opposite over Hypotenuse, Cosine is Adjacent over Hypotenuse, and Tangent is Opposite over Adjacent.*

After doing this you have to create an equation using the selected trigonometric ratio.

The formula is:

The last step is to solve the equation.

Procedure:

Examples:

I hope this works for you as well as it does to me,

Thank you for reading.