Question

A right triangle's hypotenuse is 20cm long. What is the length of the side opposite a 60 degree angle? Give your answer to the nearest tenth of a centimeter.

Answer 1

Since you are dealing with hypotenuse and opposites, you need to use sine.

sin = (opposite)/(hypotenuse)

sin(60) = (opposite)/20
sin(60) * 20 = 17.3

The length of the opposite side is approximately 17.3 centimeters