the side lengths are 4.5, 6, and 8. I have been stuck on this problem forever, PLEASE HELP! Thanks.
2007-05-23 12:15:27 · 4 answers · asked by steve-o128 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Homework Help
ok.. i have a general idea of how to do this, but since idk where the height is, that makes it a bit difficult.
what you have to do is use the law of cosines to find an angle. since you have all the sides, you can do this.
law of cos
c^2=a^2+b^2-ab cos C.
a b and c are all sides in the triangle. C is the angle created by intersecting lines a and b, which is what you want.
Then, draw in a height, use the angle you know, the 90 degrees, and the side to find the height
2007-05-23 12:23:33 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do you know the angles of the triangle? You may be able to calculate height by "creating" a right angle triangle and using the a^2+b^2=c^2 formula.
2007-05-23 19:26:40 · answer #2 · answered by Snoopy 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't explain it without knowing which sides are which
but don't forget that when you draw the altitude down to the base its perpindicular so it forms two right angles hence two right triangles
2007-05-23 20:34:30 · answer #3 · answered by lovabledai 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I see four sides??
2007-05-23 19:25:02 · answer #4 · answered by Robert L 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋