Question

How do you know when to use cos, tan, or sin when trying to find a segment of a trignagle. Example:

I had to use cos for this and had to find segment AB and AC. i just need a better understanding.

Answer 1

To find AC, you use the tangent ratio, which is opposite over adjacent.

So, tan 27° = 12/AC.

AC = 23.551

To find AB, use the sine function, or opposite over hypotenuse.

So, sin 27° = 12/AB

AB = 26.432