If one side of the right triangle is 12 and the longest side is 20, find the third side and the sine values of the other two angles in the given right triangle. Simplify fractions to lowest terms.

The missing side can be found using the Pythagorean Theorem. The missing side is . The sine of both angles is found using the sine ratio. The sine of the angle opposite the side of length 12 is . The sine of the other non-right angle is

1 answer

To find the missing side of the right triangle, we'll use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:

\[ a^2 + b^2 = c^2 \]

where \( c \) is the length of the hypotenuse (longest side), and \( a \) and \( b \) are the lengths of the other two sides. Here, we know that one side \( a = 12 \) and the hypotenuse \( c = 20 \).

First, we set up the equation:

\[ 12^2 + b^2 = 20^2 \]

Calculating the squares:

\[ 144 + b^2 = 400 \]

Now, isolate \( b^2 \):

\[ b^2 = 400 - 144 \] \[ b^2 = 256 \]

Now, take the square root:

\[ b = \sqrt{256} = 16 \]

So, the missing side (the other leg) is 16.

Next, we need to find the sine of both angles (let's call the angles opposite sides 12 and 16, respectively).

  1. For the angle opposite the side of length 12 (let's call it \( \theta \)):

\[ \sin(\theta) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}} = \frac{12}{20} = \frac{3}{5} \]

  1. For the angle opposite the side of length 16 (let's call it \( \phi \)):

\[ \sin(\phi) = \frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}} = \frac{16}{20} = \frac{4}{5} \]

So we summarize:

  • The missing side is 16.
  • The sine of the angle opposite the side of length 12 is \(\frac{3}{5}\).
  • The sine of the other non-right angle is \(\frac{4}{5}\).