Find the value of x and y rounded to the nearest tenth.?
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=44s3ptk
2007-04-26 06:51:13 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
This is a right triangle where one of the angles is 30 degrees, so that means the other angle is 60 degrees and it's a 30-60-90 right triangle. These triangles always have their sides in a ratio of 1 : √3 : 2. So if the side across from the 30 degree angle is 17, then x = 17√3 and y = 17*2 = 34.
Alternatively, if you knew the values of your trig functions, you could realize that sin(30) = 17/y. Knowing that sin(30) = 1/2, you could solve this for y to find y=34. Then use this fact for cos(30) = x/y to solve for x.
Personally, I think the side ratios of the 30-60-90 and 45-45-90 triangles are worth memorizing (the latter being 1:1:√2).
2007-04-26 06:57:10 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sin 30 deg = 17/y
0.5 = 17/y
y = 34
Sin 60 deg = x/34
0.866 = x/34
x = 29.4
2007-04-26 14:02:08 · answer #2 · answered by Robert L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
x = 29.4, y = 34.0
2007-04-26 13:58:52 · answer #3 · answered by Mick 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋