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4 votes
Is there any tricks to memorize the special right triangle's sides?

2 Answers

4 votes
Sohcahtoa
My algebra teacher got us all to remember that word because...
Soh - Sin = Opposite / Hypotenus
Cah - Cos = Adjacent / Hypotenus
Toa - Tan = Opposite / Adjacent
Sin, Cos, and Tan are what you can use to find missing triangle sides if you know at least one other angle besides the 90 degree angle.

Is there any tricks to memorize the special right triangle's sides?-example-1
User Andrew WC Brown
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5.6k points
6 votes
No, but there is a way of creating them. If you let
a = 2xy
b = x^2 - y^2 where x > y
c = x^2 + y^2

And a^2 + b^2 = c^2 You can create these sides to your needs. For example

x = 5
y = 2

2xy = 2*5*2 = 20
x^2 - y^2 = 25 - 4 = 21
x^2 + y^2 = 25 + 4 = 29 which is not well known but it is a right angle.

29^2 = 20^2 + 21^2

841 = 400 + 441
841 = 841

Just one further comment. It is easy to check to see if the triangle you are talking about is a right triangle. Just use a^2 + b^2 = c^2.

Generally it is unnecessary to either create your own or memorize ones you have come across.

I think any math teacher would say "why bother?"
If you are not satisfied, put a reason for doing this in the comments.
User Dyck
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6.8k points