Trigonometric Functions of an Acute Angle A right triangle is a triangle with one right angle or equal to 90 or /2.

It is convenient to denote the vertices as A, B, C; the angles (al ha), ( eta), (gamma) where, and are the acute angles and is the right angle; and denote the side o osite as a, , c res ectively. Y c a X C

Figure 1 In Figure 1, with res ect to angle , a as its o osite side and is its adjacent side; and with res ect to angle , as its o osite side and a its adjac ent side. Side c is always referred to as the hy otenuse of the right triangle. By Pythagorean Theorem: a^2+ ^2=c^2 Let e an acute angle of a triangle, then

Trigonometric Functions of Com lementary Angles The acute angles and of the right triangle ABC are called com lementary angles, that is, + = 90. From Figure 1, we have

e ch function of the airs sine and cosine, tangent and cotangent, secan t and cosecant is called co-function of the other. Therefore, any function of a n acute angle is equal to the corres onding co-function of the com lementary ang le.

25

Exam les: Solve the right triangle ABC whose legs are Y

= 24 and c = 25.

sin = /c = cos cos = a/c = sin t n = /a = cot

cot = a/ = tan sec = c/a = csc csc = c/ = sec

sin cos tan cot sec csc

= o osite side / hy otenuse = adjacent side / hy otenuse = o osite side / adjacent = adjacent side / o osite = hy otenuse / adjacent side = c/ = hy otenuse / o osite side = c/a

= a/c = /c = a/ = /a

a X 24 C

Find the values of the trigonometric functions of the acute angle , given sin = 3/7.

c = 7 a = 3 C

How long is the shadow cast y a uilding 150 ft. high when the sun is 2 0 a ove the horizon?

Activity #3 Solve each of the following right triangles. Given: a = 3, =1

Given:

= 7, c = 4

B 150 ft. C

Solve the following ro lems. A man drives 500 ft. along the road which is inclined 20 with the horizon tal. How high a ove his starting oint is he? A tree roken over y storms forms a right triangle with the ground. If the roken art makes an angle of 50 with the ground and if the to of the tree is now 20 ft. from its ase, how tall was the tree? Two straight roads intersect to form an angle of 75. Find the shortest d istance from one road to a gas station on the other road 1,000 ft. from the junc tion. A ladder, with its foot on the street, makes an angle of 30 with the stre et when its to rests on a uilding on one side of the street and makes an angle of 40 with the street when its to rests on a uilding on the other side of the street. If the ladder is 50 ft long, how wide is the street? Find the erimeter of an isosceles triangle whose ase is 40 cms and who se ase angle is 70.