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Hypotenuse, Adjacent and Opposite Sides of a Right Triangle
Before we study trigonometry, we need to know how the sides of a right triangle are named. The three sides are called hypotenuse, adjacent and opposite sides.
In the following right triangle PQR,
the side PQ, which is opposite to the right angle PRQ is called the hypotenuse. (The hypotenuse is the longest side of the right triangle.)
the side RQ is called the adjacent side of angle θ .
the side PR is called the opposite side of angle θ .
Note: The adjacent and the opposite sides depend on the angle θ . For complementary angle of θ , the labels of the 2 sides are reversed.
Example:
Identify the hypotenuse, adjacent side and opposite side in the following triangle:
a) for angle x
b) for angle y
Solution:
a) For angle x: AB is the hypotenuse, AC is the adjacent side , and BC is the opposite side.
b) For angle y: AB is the hypotenuse, BC is the adjacent side , and AC is the opposite side.
Videos
Opposite Sides, Adjacent Sides and Hypotenuse of a Right Triangle.
Definition of Cos, Sin, Tan, Csc, Sec, Cot
The first part of this video will explain the diffremce between the hypotenuse, adjacent and opposite sides of a right triangle.
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