Finding out the length of one side of a triangle

The way to find the length of one side of a triangle can be to use SOHCAHTOA, an abbreviation learnt to help rememeber the process. SOH stands for sin = opposite / hypotenuse , CAH stands for cos = adjacent / hypotenuse and TOA stands for tan = opposite over adjacent. The angle of the triangle provided should be used to determine whether sin, cos or tan will be used for this particular triangle. Once this has been completed, for example if you were using sin, the formula would be sin (angle provided) = length of opposite side / length of hypotenuse side. 

AA
Answered by Anesha A. Maths tutor

5683 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Tom tosses a coin. Every toss lands on either heads or tails. The coin lands on heads two thirds of the first 24 games. The coin then lands on heads the next 6 games. For all 30 tosses, work out the ratio heads:tails. Give the answer in the simplest form.


Solve the simultaneous equations x+y=3 and-x+5y=-15.


Differentiate: 6x^2 + 5x +7 =y


How do I find the length of a side of a triangle using the cosine rule?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning