ACT Math : How to find the length of the hypotenuse of an acute / obtuse triangle

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Acute / Obtuse Triangles

_tri11

What is the value of  in the triangle above? Round to the nearest hundredth.

Possible Answers:

Cannot be calculated

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Begin by filling in the missing angle for your triangle. Since a triangle has a total of  degrees, you know that the missing angle is:

Draw out the figure:

_tri12

Now, to solve this, you will need some trigonometry. Use the Law of Sines to calculate the value:

Solving for , you get:

Rounding, this is .

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