SOLUTIONS OF RIGHT
TRIANGLE
J O N AT H A N C . I G L E S I A S
A S S I S TA N T P R O F E S S O R
C O L L E G E O F T E A C H E R E D U C AT I O N
UNIVERSITY OF THE CORDILLERAS
REMEMBER….
Reciprocals!
opp hyp
sin csc
hyp opp
adj Opp
cos sec
hyp 𝜃
hyp adj Adj
opp
tan adj
adj cot
opp
*Opposite and adjacent will change according to which angle you are using!
RECALL THE FUNCTIONS OF THE
ACUTE ANGLES OF A RIGHT TRIANGLE
FIND ALL 6 TRIG FUNCTIONS
13
12
a
FIND ALL 6 TRIG FUNCTIONS
a 2 b2 c2 13
12
a 12 13
2 2 2
a 2 144 169
a
a 25
2
a5
FIND ALL 6 TRIG FUNCTIONS
a 2 b2 c2 13
12
a 12 13
2 2 2
a 2 144 169
a
a 25
2
a5
ANGLES OF
ELEVATION &
DEPRESSION
Procedure in Solving problems involving
triangles
1. Draw a figure to represent the problem
situation.
2. Identify the triangle needed in the solution.
3. Indicate the known and unknown values in
the figure.
4. Use the appropriate trigonometric function
needed in the solution.
An angle of elevation is the angle formed by a
horizontal line and a line of sight to a point above the
line. In the diagram, 1 is the angle of elevation from
the tower T to the plane P.
An angle of depression is the angle formed by a
horizontal line and a line of sight to a point below the
line. 2 is the angle of depression from the plane to
the tower.
Since horizontal lines are parallel, 1 2 by the
Alternate Interior Angles Theorem. Therefore the angle
of elevation from one point is congruent to the angle of
depression from the other point.
Classify each angle as an angle
of elevation or an angle of
depression.
1
4
2
The Seattle Space Needle casts a 67-meter shadow. If the
angle of elevation from the tip of the shadow to the top of the
Space Needle is 70º, how tall is the Space Needle? Round to
the nearest meter.
B
70o
A
67 m
At the circus, a person in the audience at ground level watches the high-wire routine. A
5-foot-6-inch tall acrobat is standing on a platform that is 25 feet off the ground. How
far is the audience member from the base of the platform, if the angle of elevation from
the audience member’s line of sight to the top of the acrobat is 27°?
Make a drawing.
Maria is at the top of a cliff and sees a seal in the water. If the cliff is 40 feet above the
water and the angle of depression is 52°, what is the horizontal distance from the seal
to the cliff, to the nearest foot?
Vernon is on the top deck of a cruise ship and observes two dolphins following each other
directly away from the ship in a straight line. Vernon’s position is 154 meters above sea level,
and the angles of depression to the two dolphins are 35° and 36°. Find the distance between
the two dolphins to the nearest meter.
A ranger sees another fire and the angle of depression to the fire
is 3°. What is the horizontal distance to this fire? Round to the
nearest foot.
An observer in a lighthouse is 69 ft above the water. He sights two boats in the
water directly in front of him. The angle of depression to the nearest boat is 48º.
The angle of depression to the other boat is 22º. What is the distance between
the two boats? Round to the nearest foot.
