February 16, 2015

I. Topic: Right Triangle Trigonometry

Subtopic: Solving a Right Triangle when Given One Acute Angle and a Side
Reference/s: Basic Trigonometry For Secondary Schools by Melecio C. Deauna et al pp. 82-87
Math Time Vol. XVIII No. 4 Grade IX pp. 20

II. Objectives
At the end of the lesson, atleast 80% of the students with atleast 80% level of proficiency
are expected to:
1. find the measures of the unknown sides using the given side and angle
2. apply the Pythagorean theorem to determine the third side
3. develop analytical and logical thinking skills

III. Priming
A. In right ABC, A= 25°. Find the other acute B.
Solution:
The two acute angles are complementary so,
A + B= 90°
B = 90° - A
B = 90° - 25°
B = 65°
B. Find the third side of right EFG.
G
Solution:
Apply the Pythagorean theorem to solve for FG.
(EF)2 + (FG)2 = (EG)2
10 (FG)2 = (EG)2 – (EF)2
= 102 - 52
= 75
FG =
F 5 E
C. In right ABC below, A and B are the acute angles, a and b are the legs, and c is the
hypotenuse. Find the unknown measures of the sides and angles.

c
b

C a B

1. A = 1°3’, B = ? 6. a = 9, b = 12, c = ?
2. A = 64° 15’, B = ? 7. a = ?, b = 5, c = 13
3. A = 40°50’, B = ? 8. a = 12, b = ?, c = 20
4. A = ?, B = 22°32’ 9. a = ?, b = 15, c = 17
5. A = ?, B = 76°48’ 10. a = 1, b = 3, c = ?

IV. Learning Experiences

A. Activity 1:
1. In the right triangle in figure 1, =27° and r = 10 units. Solve for (a) , (b) p, and (c)
q to the nearest tenth unit.
 r = 10
p
= 27°
q
Figure 1

Solution:
a. = 90°- = 90°- 27° = 63°
b. With respect to , p is the opposite side. Since the given side r is the hypotenuse, what
trigonometric function of relates p and r? It is the sine function. So we have
sin = =
to solve for p,
p = r sin
= (10)(sin 27°)
= 10(0.4540)
= 4.540 or 4.5 units
The cosecant function, the reciprocal of the sine function, also relates the two sides in the
equation:
csc =
to solve for p, we have
p= = = which gives the same value as above.
In succeeding discussions, only the solution using one trigonometric function is presented.
c. Since q is adjacent to , then we use the cosine function. We have,
cos = =
to solve for q,
q = r cos
= (10)(cos 27°)
= (10)(0.8910)
= 8.910 or 8.9 units
Since sides p and r are now known, we can also apply the Pythagorean theorem to find the
value of q. That is,
p2 + q2 = r2
q2 = r2 – p2
= (10)2 – (4.5)2
= 79.75
q = 8.9, which is the same answer as when we used the cosine function.

2. Given the right triangle in figure 2, solve for x and y to the nearest tenth and to the
nearest 10 minutes.
Figure 2: 6.5
48°20’
y
x

Solution:
a. = 90° - 48°20’ = 89°60’ - 48° 20’
= 41°40’
 b. Since the given side is adjacent to the given angle, to solve for x (the opposite side), use
the tangent function of the given angle. That is,

tan 48°20’ =
x = 6.5 tan 48°20’
= 6.5(1.1237)
= 7.3040 or 7.3
c. To solve for the hypotenuse y, use the secant function.
sec 48°20’ =
y = 6.5 sec 48°20’
= 6.5 (1.5042)
= 9.7774 or 9.8
Or we can solve for y by applying the Pythagorean theorem.
y2 = (6.5)2 + (7.3)2 = 95.54
y = 9.8

3. Given RST, compute the values of to the nearest tenth degree, and RS and RT to
the nearest tenth centimeter.

S 25 cm

32.4°

R Figure 3

Solution:
a. = 90° - 32.4° = 57.6°
Note that 32.4° = 32°24’, and to find the value of the trigonometric function for the
angle, round off the angle to the nearest 10 minutes. Thus, 32.4° = 32°24’ becomes 32°20’.
b. The given side is opposite the given angle. To solve for the adjacent side RS, use the
tangent function.
tan 32°20’ =

RS = =
To solve for the hypotenuse RT, use the sine function.
sin 32°20’ =

RT = =
If the calculator is used, there is no need to round off the angle measures and the values
obtained are more exact. Thus

RS = = = 39.4 cm

RT = = = 46.7 cm

Activity 2:
 Find the measure of the sides to the nearest tenth and the angles to the nearest multiple of
10 minutes.

1. 4.

b 15 h
g
42°
a 57.8 57.8°

2. 9.2
36°50’
3 5.
25.8 d

32 i

3. f 10° 30’ 78.5°

E j
400

B. Analysis
1. What are the steps in solving a right triangle when given one acute angle and a side?
.
C. Abstraction
1. Here are the steps in solving a right triangle when given one acute angle and a side:
 Compute the third angle by finding the complement of the given angle.
 Choose the second side you want to solve. Select the trigonometric function of the
given angle that relates the given side and the side you want to compute. Write the
equation expressing the relationship.
 Compute the second side solving the equation set up in step 2.
 Solve the third side (a) by repeating steps 2 and 3, or (b) by applying the Pythagorean
theorem.

D. Application
Given ABC with the right angle at C, find the measures of the angles to the nearest 10
minutes and the lengths of the sides to the nearest tenth. You can draw the triangle in any position.
1. A = 45°, a = 20.8 cm
2. B = 58.25°, c = 31.5 m
3. A = 73° 50’, b = 100 cm
4. B = 21° 30’, a = 56.0 cm
5. A = 35.12°, c = 8

E. Assignment
Given DEF with the right angle at F, find the measures of the angles to the nearest 10
minutes and the lengths of the sides to the nearest tenth. You can draw the triangle in any position.
1. D = 25°, e = 15 2. E = 24°, f = 15