How do you know whether to use sin, cos or tan to find the angle in a triangle?

You have to look at the where the angle is located and what sides of the triangle relative to the angle you are given. The hypotenuse is always the longest line of the triangle, the opposite is always the side opposite the angle and the adjacent is the last side left.To use sin, you need to have the opposite and hypotenuseTo use cosine, you need to have the adjacent and hypotenuseTo use tangent, you need to have the opposite and adjacentYou can use this to remember: SOHCAHTOA

FA
Answered by Feranmi A. Maths tutor

3230 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

If a rectangle has sides (x+3) and (2x-1) and an area of 15, find x and the length of each side.


Kelly is trying to work out the two values of w for which 3w - w^3 = 2 Her values are 1 and -1 Are her values correct? You must show your working.


Solve the simultaneous equations, 8x + 4y = 4 and 6x - 18y = 16


factorise and hence solve x^2 + 10x +18 = -3


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