The sine of 30 degrees is 1/2 for one thing..................

How to Work with 30-60-90-Degree Triangles

Related Book

Pre-Calculus For Dummies, 2nd Edition

By Yang Kuang, Elleyne Kase

All 30-60-90-degree triangles have sides with the same basic ratio. If you look at the 30–60–90-degree triangle in radians, it translates to the following:

In any 30-60-90 triangle, you see the following:

• The shortest leg is across from the 30-degree angle.
• The length of the hypotenuse is always two times the length of the shortest leg.
• You can find the long leg by multiplying the short leg by the square root of 3.

Note: The hypotenuse is the longest side in a right triangle, which is different from the long leg. The long leg is the leg opposite the 60-degree angle.
The figure illustrates the ratio of the sides for the 30-60-90-degree triangle.

A 30-60-90-degree right triangle.

If you know one side of a 30-60-90 triangle, you can find the other two by using shortcuts. Here are the three situations you come across when doing these calculations:

• Type 1: You know the short leg (the side across from the 30-degree angle). Double its length to find the hypotenuse. You can multiply the short side by the square root of 3 to find the long leg.
• Type 2: You know the hypotenuse. Divide the hypotenuse by 2 to find the short side. Multiply this answer by the square root of 3 to find the long leg.
• Type 3: You know the long leg (the side across from the 60-degree angle). Divide this side by the square root of 3 to find the short side. Double that figure to find the hypotenuse.