Question

Laz had a hard time with this problem on his homework. Help him figure out what went wrong in his process. (Read Picture)

Answer 1

x = 6/√3

y = 3/√3

Explanation:

For a triangle rectangle with a known angle θ, we have the relations:

Sin(θ) = (opposite cathetus)/(hypotenuse)

Cos(θ) = (adjacent cathetus)/(hypotenuse)

Tan(θ) = (opposite cathetus)/(adjacent cathetus)

For this triangle, we know an angle:

θ = 60°

And the opposite cathetus measures 3 units.

The adjacent cathetus is y.

The hypotenuse is x.

To find the value of x, we can use the Sin equation:

Sin(60°) = 3/x

x = 3/sin(60°) = 3.46 = 3*2/√3 = 6/√3

And we can use the Tan relation to find the value of y.

Tan(60°) = 3/y

y = 3/Tan(60°) = 1.73 = 3/√3

For x he didn't divide by √3, while for y he multiplied by √3 instead of dividing by √3.