178 Chapter 3.

Triangles and Vectors

3.2 Right Triangles

Focus Questions
The following questions are meant to guide our study of the material in this
section. After studying this section, we should understand the concepts mo-
tivated by these questions and be able to write precise, coherent answers to
these questions.

 How does the cosine relate sides and acute angles in a right triangle?
Why?

 How does the sine relate sides and acute angles in a right triangle? Why?

 How does the tangent relate sides and acute angles in a right triangle?
Why?

 How can we use the cosine, sine, and tangent of an angle in a right
triangle to help determine unknown parts of that triangle?

Beginning Activity
The following diagram shows a typical right triangle. The lengths of the three
sides of the right triangle are labeled as a, b, and c. The angles opposite the sides
of lengths a, b, and c are labeled ˛ (alpha), ˇ (beta), and (gamma), repsectively.
(Alpha, beta, and gamma are the first three letters in the Greek alphabet.) The small
square with the angle indicates that this is the right angle in the right triangle.
The triangle, of course, has three sides. We call the side opposite the right angle
(the side of length c in the diagram) the hypotenuse of the right triangle.
When we work with triangles, the angles are usually measured in degrees and
so we would say that is an angle of 90ı .

1. What can we conclude about a, b, and c from the Pythagorean Theorem?

When working with triangles, we usually measure angles in degrees. For the frac-
tional part of the degree measure of an angle, we often used decimals but we also
frequently use minutes and seconds.

2. What is the sum of the angles in a triangle? In this case, what is ˛ C ˇ C ?

3.2. Right Triangles 179

β
c a

α γ
b

3. What is the sum of the two acute angles in a right triangle. In this case, what
is ˛ C ˇ?

4. How many minutes are in a degree? How many seconds are in a minute?
118:8
5. Determine the solution of the equation 7:3 D correct to the nearest
x
thousandth. (You should be able to show that x  16:274.)
5
6. Determine the solution of the equation sin.32ı/ D correct to the nearest
x
ten-thousandth. (You should be able to show that x  9:4354.)

Introduction
Suppose you want to find the height of a tall object such as a flagpole (or a tree or
a building). It might be inconvenient (or even dangerous) to climb the flagpole and
measure it, so what can you do? It might be easy to measure the length the shadow
the flagpole casts and also the angle  determined by the ground level to the sun
(called the angle of elevation of the object) as in Figure 3.5. In this section, we
will learn how to use the trigonometric functions to relate lengths of sides to angles
in right triangles and solve this problem as well as many others.
180 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

Sun

Flag Pole

θ
shadow

Figure 3.5: Finding the height of a flagpole (drawing not to scale)

Trigonometric Functions and Right Triangles

We have seen how we determine the values of the trigonometric functions of an an-
gle  by placing  in standard position and letting .x; y/ be the point of intersection
of the terminal side of angle  with a circle of radius r. Then
x r
cos. / D ; sec. / D if x ¤ 0;
r x
y r
sin. / D ; csc. / D if y ¤ 0;
r y
y x
tan. / D if x ¤ 0; cot. / D if y ¤ 0:
x y
In our work with right triangles, we will use only the sine, cosine, and tangent
functions.
Now we will see how to relate the trigonometric functions to angles in right
triangles. Suppose we have a right triangle with sides of length x and y and hy-
potenuse of length r. Let  be the angle opposite the side of length y as shown
in Figure 3.6. We can now place our triangle such that the angle  is in standard
position in the plane and the triangle will fit into the circle of radius r as shown at
right in Figure 3.7.
By the definition of our trigonometric functions we then have
x y y
cos. / D sin. / D tan. / D
r r x
If instead of using x, y, and r, we label y as the length of the side opposite the
acute angle  , x as the length of the side adjacent to the acute angle  , and r as the
length of the hypotenuse, we get the following figure:
3.2. Right Triangles 181

r y
θ
r y x

θ
x
Figure 3.7: Right triangle in standard
Figure 3.6: A right triangle
position
se
nu

side opposite
ote

y angle θ
p

r
hy

θ x
side adjacent
to angle θ

So we see that
length of side opposite  opposite
sin. / D sin. / D
length of hypotenuse hypotenuse

length of side adjacent to  adjacent

cos. / D cos. / D
length of hypotenuse hypotenuse

length of side opposite  opposite

tan. / D tan. / D
length of side adjacent to  adjacent

The equations on the right are convenient abbreviations of the correct equations on
the left.
182 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

Progress Check 3.7 We must be careful when we use the terms opposite and ad-
jacent because the meaning of these terms depends on the angle we are using. Use
the diagrams in Figure 3.8 to determine formulas for each of the following in terms
of a, b, and c.

se β side se β side
tenu tenu
po a opposite po
hy c hy c a adjacent
γ α γ to β
α b α b
side adjacent to α side opposite β

Figure 3.8: Labels for a right triangle

cos.˛/ D cos.ˇ/ D

sin.˛/ D sin.ˇ/ D

tan.˛/ D tan.ˇ/ D

We should also note that with the labeling of the right triangle shown in Fig-
ure 3.8, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem and the fact that the sum of the angles
of a triangle is 180 degrees to conclude that

a2 C b 2 D c 2 and ˛ C ˇ C D 180ı
D 90ı
˛ C ˇ D 90ı

Example 3.8 Suppose that one of the acute angles of a right triangle has a measure
of 35ı and that the side adjacent to this angle is 8 inches long. Determine the other
acute angle of the right triangle and the lengths of the other two sides.
Solution. The first thing we do is draw a picture of the triangle. (The picture does
not have to be perfect but it should reasonably reflect the given information.) In
making the diagram, we should also label the unknown parts of the triangle. One
way to do this is shown in the diagram.
3.2. Right Triangles 183

θ
c a
ο
35
8 in

One thing we notice is that 35ı C  D 90ı and so  D 55ı . We can also use the
cosine and tangent of 35ı to determine the values of a and c.

8
a
cos 35ı D tan 35ı D
ı

c ı

8
c cos 35 D 8 8 tan 35 D a
8
cD a  5:60166
cos .35ı/
c  9:76620

Before saying that this example is complete, we should check our results. One way
to do this is to verify that the lengths of the three sides of the right triangle satisfy
the formula for the Pythagorean Theorem. Using the given value for one side and
the calculated values of a and c, we see that

82 C a2  95:379
c 2  95:379

So we see that our work checks with the Pythagorean Theorem.

Solving Right Triangles

What we did in Example 3.8 is what is called solving a right triangle. Please
note that this phrase is misleading because you cannot really “solve” a triangle.
Unfortunately, this phrase is ensconced in the vernacular of trigonometry and so
we will continue to use it. The idea is that if we are given enough information
about the lengths of sides and measures of angles in a right triangle, then we can
determine all of the other values. The next progress check is also an example of
“solving a right triangle.”
184 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

Progress Check 3.9 (Solving a Right Triangle)

The length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is 17 feet and the length of one side
of this right triangle is 5 feet. Determine the length of the other side and the two
acute angles for this right triangle.
Hint: Draw a picture and label the third side of the right triangle with a variable
and label the two acute angles as ˛ and ˇ.

Applications of Right Triangles

As the examples have illustrated up to this point, when working on problems in-
volving right triangles (including application problems), we should:

 Draw a diagram for the problem.

 Identify the things you know about the situation. If appropriate, include this
information in your picture.

 Identify the quantity that needs to be determined and give this quantity a
variable name. If appropriate, include this information in your diagram.

 Find an equation that relates what is known to what must be determined. This
will often involve a trigonometric function or the Pythagorean Theorem.

 Solve the equation for the unknown. Then think about this solution to make
sure it makes sense in the context of the problem.

 If possible, find a way to check the result.

We return to the example given in the introduction to this section on page 179. In
this example, we used the term angle of elevation. This is a common term (as well
as angle of depression) in problems involving triangles. We can define an angle
of elevation of an object to be an angle whose initial side is horizontal and has a
rotation so that the terminal side is above the horizontal. An angle of depression is
then an angle whose initial side is horizontal and has a rotation so that the terminal
side is below the horizontal. See Figure 3.9.
3.2. Right Triangles 185

object
ht horizontal
f sig angle of depression
eo
lin line
angle of elevation of s
igh
t
horizontal
object

Figure 3.9: Angle of Elevation and Angle of Depression

Example 3.10 Determining the Height of a Flagpole

Suppose that we want to determine the height of a flagpole and cannot measure the
height directly. Suppose that we measure the length of the shadow of the flagpole
to be 44 feet, 5 inches. In addition, we measure the angle of elevation of the sun to
be 33ı150 .
Solution. The first thing we do is to draw the diagram. In the diagram, we let h

Sun

h
Flag Pole

θ
shadow
x

Figure 3.10: Finding the height of a flagpole (drawing not to scale)

be the height of the flagpole, x be the length of the shadow, and  be the angle of
186 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

elavation. We are given values for x and  , and we see that

h
tan. / D
x
x tan. / D h (1)

So we can now determine the value of h, but we must be careful to use a decimal (or
fractional) value for x (equivalent to 44 feet, 5 inches) and a decimal (or fractional)
value for  (equivalent to 33ı 150). So we will use

15 ı
 
5
x D 44 C and  D 33 C :
12 60

Using this and equation (1), we see that

15 ı
   
5
h D 44 C tan 33 C
12 60
h  29:1208 feet:

The height of the flagpole is about 29.12 feet or 29 feet, 1.4 inches.

Progress Check 3.11 (Length of a Ramp)

A company needs to build a wheelchair accessible ramp to its entrance. The Amer-
icans with Disabilities Act Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities for ramps state
the “The maximum slope of a ramp in new construction shall be 1:12.”

1. The 1:12 guideline means that for every 1 foot of rise in the ramp there must
be 12 feet of run. What is the angle of elevation (in degrees) of such a ramp?

2. If the company’s entrance is 7.5 feet above the level ground, use trigonome-
try to approximate the length of the ramp that the company will need to build
using the maximum slope. Explain your process.

Progress Check 3.12 (Guided Activity – Using Two Right Triangles)

This is a variation of Example 3.19. Suppose that the flagpole sits on top a hill and
that we cannot directly measure the length of the shadow of the flagpole as shown
in Figure 3.19.
Some quantities have been labeled in the diagram. Angles ˛ and ˇ are angles
of elevation to the top of the flagpole from two different points on level ground.
These points are d feet apart and directly in line with the flagpole. The problem
3.2. Right Triangles 187

flagpole
h

β α
d x

Figure 3.11: Flagpole on a hill

is to determine h, the height from level ground to the top of the flagpole. The
following measurements have been recorded.

˛ D 43:2ı d D 22:75feet
ı
ˇ D 34:7

Notice that a value for x was not given because it is the distance from the first point
to an imaginary point directly below the flagpole and even with level ground.
Please keep in mind that it is probably easier to write formulas in terms of ˛,
ˇ, and and wait until the end to use the numerical values. For example, we see
that
h
tan.˛/ D and (1)
x
h
tan.ˇ/ D : (2)
d Cx

In equation (1), notice that we know the value of ˛. This means if we can determine
a value for either x or h, we can use equation (1) to determine the value of the other.
We will first determine the value of x.

1. Solve equation (1) for h and then substitute this into equation (2). Call this
equation (3).

2. One of the terms in equation (3) has a denominator. Multiply both sides of
equation (3) by this denominator.

3. Now solve the resulting equation for x (in terms of ˛, ˇ, and d ).

188 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

4. Substitute the given values for ˛, ˇ, and d to determine the value of x and
then use this value and equation (1) to determine the value of h.

5. Is there a way to check to make sure the result is correct?

Summary of Section 3.2

In this section, we studied the following important concepts and ideas:
Given enough information about the lengths of sides and measures of angles in a
right triangle, we can determine all of the other values using the following relation-
ships:

opposite
sin. / D
hypotenuse
u se
ten

side opposite
adjacent
po

r y angle θ cos. / D
hy

hypotenuse

θ x opposite
tan. / D
side adjacent adjacent
to angle θ

Exercises for Section 3.2

?
1. For each of the following right triangles, determine the value of x correct to
the nearest thousandth.
(a) (c)

x 7
x
47 4.9
6
(b) (d)
x 67 3.1
9.5
7
x
3.2. Right Triangles 189

2. One angle in a right triangle is 55ı and the side opposite that angle is 10 feet
long. Determine the length of the other side, the length of the hypotenuse,
and the measure of the other acute angle.

3. One angle in a right triangle is 37:8ı and the length of the hypotenuse is 25
inches. Determine the length of the other two sides of the right triangle.
?
4. One angle in a right triangle is 27ı 120 and the length of the side adjacent to
this angle is 4 feet. Determine the other acute angle in the triangle, the length
of the side opposite this angle, and the length of the hypotenuse.
Note: The notation means that the angle is 27 degrees, 12 seconds. Remem-
1
ber that 1 second is of a degree.
60
5. If we only know the measures of the three angles of a right triangle, ex-
plain why it is not possible to determine the lengths of the sides of this right
triangle.

6. Suppose that we know the measure  of one of the acute angles in a right
triangle and we know the length x of the side opposite the angle  . Explain
how to determine the length of the side adjacent to the angle  and the length
of the hypotenuse.
? 7. In the diagram to the right, deter-
mine the values of a, b, and h to the
nearest thousandth. γ
The given values are: b
a h
ı
˛ D 23
α β θ
ˇ D 140ı c x
cD8
8. A tall evergreen tree has been damaged in a strong wind. The top of the tree
is cracked and bent over, touching the ground as if the trunk were hinged.
The tip of the tree touches the ground 20 feet 6 inches from the base of the
tree (where the tree and the ground meet). The tip of the tree forms an angle
of 17 degrees where it touches the ground. Determine the original height of
the tree (before it broke) to the nearest tenth of a foot. Assume the base of
the tree is perpendicular to the ground.

9. Suppose a person is standing on the top of a building and that she has an
instrument that allows her to measure angles of depression. There are two
points that are 100 feet apart and lie on a straight line that is perpendicular
190 Chapter 3. Triangles and Vectors

to the base of the building. Now suppose that she measures the angle of
depression to the closest point to be 35:5ı and that she measures the angle
of depression to the other point to be 29:8ı . Determine the height of the
building.

10. A company has a 35 foot lad-

der that it uses for cleaning the
windows in their building. For
safety reasons, the ladder must
never make an angle of more than
50ı with the ground.

(a) What is the greatest height

that the ladder can reach ladder
on the building if the angle
it makes with the ground is
no more than 50ı.

(b) Suppose the building is 40

ground
feet high. Again, follow-
ing the safety guidelines,
what length of ladder is
needed in order to have the
ladder reach the top of the
building?