M HYPE SPLASH
// general

How to find opposite and adjacent lengths of a right triangle given the hypotenuse and angle?

By John Peck
$\begingroup$

I'm writing a few functions for a JavaScript game engine. Is it possible to calculate the length of the legs of a right triangle given ONLY the length of the hypotenuse and an angle?

$\endgroup$

2 Answers

$\begingroup$

Well, yes, I believe so. Use the sin formula: $$c=\dfrac{b}{\sin B}=\dfrac{a}{\sin A}\\ \implies b=c\sin B,\quad a=c\sin A$$ Given $\angle A\text{ or }\angle B $ we can calculate the other angle (right triangle).

$\endgroup$ 2 $\begingroup$

Two words for you: sine and cosine

enter image description here

$\endgroup$ 7

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Sign up using Google Sign up using Facebook Sign up using Email and Password

Post as a guest

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy