Both Acute Angles
Part of the Right-Triangle Trigonometry section of Coddy's Trigonometry journey. Lesson 23 of 46.
Once one acute angle is known, the other is free: the two share the 90° the right angle leaves, so the second is 90° minus the first. In a 3, 4, 5 triangle the angle opposite the 3 is arctan(3/4), about 36.87°, so the angle opposite the 4 is about 53.13°.
You can also find the second angle directly, reading the sides from it: the 4 is opposite and the 3 is adjacent, so , again about 53.13°. Going direct does not lean on the first answer, so a slip there cannot carry over, and the two routes check each other.
Challenge
Triangle ABC has a right angle at C. This time θ is at B: the side opposite θ is 8 and the side next to it is 15. Find θ in degrees, rounded to two decimal places. Then press Check.
Try it yourself
Use the figure to find theta
All lessons in Right-Triangle Trigonometry
5Finding an Angle
Inverse SineInverse CosineInverse TangentThe Angle of a RampBoth Acute AnglesRecap: Finding an Angle