Question 41·Medium·Right Triangles and Trigonometry
A triangular shade sail forms a right triangle. The longest side of the sail is 16 feet, and one of the acute angles measures . What is the perimeter of the sail, in feet?
When a right triangle includes a angle, recognize it as a -- triangle so the legs are equal. Use or with the hypotenuse to find a leg quickly, then compute the requested quantity (here, the perimeter) by combining side lengths.
Hints
Identify the hypotenuse
In a right triangle, the longest side is always the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle).
Find one leg using the angle
Use or with hypotenuse .
Add the three side lengths
A right triangle with a acute angle has two equal legs. Add the hypotenuse and both legs to get the perimeter.
Desmos Guide
Use degree mode
In Desmos settings, set the angle unit to degrees.
Compute a leg length
Enter L = 16*sin(45) (or 16*cos(45)) to compute the leg length.
Compute the perimeter
Enter P = 16 + 2L to compute the perimeter.
Match to an answer choice
Compare your value (or its radical form) to the listed choices and select the matching expression.
Step-by-step Explanation
Find the length of a leg
The longest side is the hypotenuse, so its length is .
Using :
Set up the perimeter
In a right triangle with one acute angle , the other acute angle is also , so the two legs are equal.
Perimeter:
State the answer
Combine like terms:
So, the perimeter of the sail is .