find angle a. a is the top angle b is the right angle and c is the bottom angle. ab is 12 bc is 5 and the hypotenuse ac is 13

1 answer

You have a right triangle where the sides are given as follows:

  • \( AB = 12 \) (opposite side to angle \( A \))
  • \( BC = 5 \) (adjacent side to angle \( A \))
  • \( AC = 13 \) (hypotenuse)

Since \( AC \) is the hypotenuse and the triangle follows the Pythagorean theorem, let's verify:

\[ AB^2 + BC^2 = AC^2 \] \[ 12^2 + 5^2 = 13^2 \] \[ 144 + 25 = 169 \] \[ 169 = 169 \]

The triangle is indeed right-angled.

To find angle \( A \), we can use the sine, cosine, or tangent functions. Let's use the tangent function, which relates the angle \( A \) to the opposite and adjacent sides:

\[ \tan(A) = \frac{AB}{BC} = \frac{12}{5} \]

To find angle \( A \):

\[ A = \tan^{-1}\left(\frac{12}{5}\right) \]

Now, you can calculate \( A \):

Using a calculator:

\[ A \approx \tan^{-1}(2.4) \approx 67.38^\circ \]

Thus, the measure of angle \( A \) is approximately \( 67.38^\circ \).