Question

Determine the value of x

Answer 1

12.86

Explanation:

To find the size of the second leg, we can use the trigonometric ratio of sine, which is defined as the opposite side over the hypotenuse. Since we know the angle opposite to the second leg is 42°, we can write:

sin(42°)=x/h

where x is the second leg and h is the hypotenuse.

To solve for x, we need to know the value of h. We can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the legs. Since we know one leg is 15 inches, we can write:

h²=15²+x²

Now we have two equations with two unknowns, x and h. We can use substitution or elimination to solve for them. For example, we can isolate x from the first equation and plug it into the second equation:

x=h·sin(42°)

h²=15²+[h·sin(42°)]²

Simplifying and rearranging, we get a quadratic equation in terms of h:

h²−15²−h²· sin²(42°)=0

Using the quadratic formula, we get two possible values for h:

h= -b ±
`\sqrt[]{b^(2)-4ac}` / 2a

where:

a= 1−sin²(42°),b=0, c=−15²

Plugging in the values, we get:

h= ±
`\sqrt[]{15^(4)[1 - sin^(2)(42^(0))] }` /
`2[1 - sin^(2)(42^(0) )]`

Since h has to be positive, we take the positive root and simplify:

h≈19.23

Now that we have h, we can plug it back into the first equation and solve for x:

x=h ⋅ sin(42°)

x≈19.23×0.6691

Simplifying, we get:

x≈12.87

Therefore, the size of the second leg is about 12.87 inches ≈ 12.86

To determine what type of triangle this is, we can use the definitions and classifications of triangles based on their angles and sides.

Based on their angles, triangles can be classified as right triangles (one angle is 90°), acute triangles (all angles are less than 90°), or obtuse triangles (one angle is more than 90°).

Based on their sides, triangles can be classified as equilateral triangles (all sides are equal), isosceles triangles (two sides are equal), or scalene triangles (no sides are equal).

In this case, since one angle is 90°, this is a right triangle.

Since no sides are equal, this is also a scalene triangle.

Therefore, this triangle is a right scalene triangle.

Answer 2

Explanation: