Question the-le

4.2 Right Triangles & Trigonometry - Trig ratios (sin, cos, tan) in right triangles
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  • The length of side upper A upper B is 54.
  • The measure of angle upper B is 30/li>
  • Angle upper C is a right angle.
  • A note indies the figure is not drawn to scale.

Right triangle A B C is shown. What is the value of tanA?

A.

354

B.

13

C.

3

D.

273

The length of side upper A upper B is 54. The measure of angle upper B

Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · Right Triangles & Trigonometry — Trig ratios (sin, cos, tan) in right triangles. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice C is correct. In the triangle shown, the measure of angle B is 30° and angle C is a right angle, which means that it has a measure of 90°. Since the sum of the angles in a triangle is equal to 180°, the measure of angle A is equal to 180°-30+90°, or 60°. In a right triangle whose acute angles have measures 30° and 60°, the lengths of the legs can be represented by the expressions x , x3, and 2 x , where x is the length of the leg opposite the angle with measure 30°, x3 is the length of the leg opposite the angle with measure 60°, and 2 x is the length of the hypotenuse. In the triangle shown, the hypotenuse has a length of 54 . It follows that 2x=54, or x=27. Therefore, the length of the leg opposite angle B is 27 and the length of the leg opposite angle A is 273. The tangent of an acute angle in a right triangle is defined as the ratio of the length of the leg opposite the angle to the length of the leg adjacent to the angle. The length of the leg opposite angle A is 273 and the length of the leg adjacent to angle A is 27 . Therefore, the value of tanA is 27327, or 3.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of 1tanA, not the value of tanA.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the length of the leg opposite angle A , not the value of tanA.