Question

A triangle has sides with lengths 8, 15, and 17. approximate the acute angles in this triangle to the nearest degree and list in ascending order

Answer 1

28°, 62°

Explanation:

As 8,15,17 is a Pythagorean Triple, the triangle must be a right triangle. Hence, we can use our common trig ratios to solve the problem. Let's assume our right triangle has a base of 8, a height of 15, and a hypotenuse of 17.

Here are all the acute angles in order:

`\cos^(-1)((15)/(17))\approx28^\circ`

`\sin^(-1)((15)/(17))\approx62^\circ`