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Finding the Six Trigonometric Ratios for a Right Triangle

Study Guide - Smart Notes

Tailored notes based on your materials, expanded with key definitions, examples, and context.

Q1. Find the 6 trigonometric ratios of for the triangle below:

Right triangle with sides 2, 3, and unknown height, angle theta at one vertex

Background

Topic: Right Triangle Trigonometry

This question tests your understanding of how to find the six basic trigonometric ratios (sine, cosine, tangent, cosecant, secant, and cotangent) for a given angle in a right triangle.

Key Terms and Formulas

  • Opposite side: The side opposite the angle .

  • Adjacent side: The side next to the angle (but not the hypotenuse).

  • Hypotenuse: The longest side of the right triangle (opposite the right angle).

The six trigonometric ratios are:

Step-by-Step Guidance

  1. Identify the sides of the triangle relative to . In the diagram, the side labeled 2 is adjacent to $\theta$, the hypotenuse is 3, and the opposite side is currently unknown.

  2. Use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the missing side (opposite to ):

    Let be the unknown side, , and .

  3. Substitute the known values and solve for the missing side:

  4. Once you have the length of the opposite side, write the six trigonometric ratios using the definitions above.

Try solving on your own before revealing the answer!

Final Answer:

The missing side is , so the six trigonometric ratios are:

These ratios are found by substituting the side lengths into the definitions for each trigonometric function.

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