C H A P T E R

11 Right Triangles

 Pythagorean Theorem

As you saw in the previous chapter, right triangles are triangles in which one angle measures 90°. Given the lengths
of two sides of a right triangle, the Pythagorean theorem can be used to find the missing side of the right triangle.

A
The Pythagorean theorem states that the sum of the squares of the bases of a
triangle is equal to the square of the hypotenuse of the triangle. If a is the length of
c one base, b is the length of the other base, and c is the length of the hypotenuse, then
a a2 + b2 = c2.
The formula can be rewritten to find any of the three sides. For instance,
a = c2 – b2 and b2 = c2 – a2.
2
B b C

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A
In triangle ABC at left, the bases are sides AB and BC, since the hypotenuse, 
AC ,

is the side opposite the right angle. To find AC , use the Pythagorean theorem. Square
c sides a and b, and then add those squares; a2 + b2 = c2, (3)2 + (4)2 = c2, 9 + 16 = c2,
3
25 = c2. Now, take the square root of both sides of the equation to find c; c = 25 ,
c = 5. The length of side AC is 5 units.

B 4 C

 Common Pythagorean Triples

The three lengths of a right triangle are often referred to as Pythagorean triples. You just saw that 3:4:5 is a
Pythagorean triple. Another common Pythagorean triple is 5:12:13. Multiples of these triples are also Pythagorean
triples; 6:8:10, 9:12:15, and 12:16:20 are all multiples of the 3:4:5 triple. Multiples of the 5:12:13 triple are 10:24:26
and 15:36:39.

Common Right Triangles

There are two common types of right triangles often seen on the SAT: the 45-45-90 right triangle and the 30-60-
90 right triangle.

The 45-45-90 right triangle is an isosceles right triangle. Its angles measure
A
45°, 45°, and 90°. The bases of this right triangle are equal. If the bases each meas-
ure 2 units, what is the length of the hypotenuse? Using the Pythagorean theorem,
you can find that 22 + 22 = c2, 8 = c2, and c = 8, or 22. What if each base meas-
c
x ured 3 units? Then, 32 + 32 = c2, 18 = c2, and c = 18, or 32. Notice that in both
cases, the length of the hypotenuse is 2 times the length of a base of the triangle.
This is always the case with 45-45-90 right triangles. The length of the hypotenuse
B x C is 2 times the length of a base. In the same way, the length of a base is  2 times
2
the length of the hypotenuse.

A The 30-60-90 right triangle is another type of right triangle. Its angles measure
30°, 60°, and 90°. If side BC of triangle ABC at right is 2 units and side AB is 23 units,
30 what is the length of the hypotenuse? Using the Pythagorean theorem again, you can
find that 22 + (23)2 = c2, 4 + 12 = c2, c2 = 16, and c = 4. In every 30-60-90 right tri-
angle, the length of the hypotenuse is 2 times the length of the shorter base (the base
60 that is opposite the 30° angle). The length of the longer base (the base opposite the
C
60° angle) is always 3 times the length of the shorter base.
B

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 Trigonometr y

There are three trigonometry functions that will appear on the SAT: sine, cosine, and tangent.
The sine of an angle is equal to the length of the base opposite the angle divided by the length of the hypotenuse.
The cosine of an angle is equal to the length of the base adjacent to the angle divided by the length of
the hypotenuse.
The tangent of an angle is equal to the length of the base opposite the angle divided by the length of the base
adjacent to the angle.
Opposite Adjacent Opposite
Use the mnemonic device SOHCATOA: Sine =    
Hypotenuse , Cosine = Hypotenuse , and Tangent = Adjacent .
A
In triangle ABC, what are the sine, cosine, and tangent of angle C?

10 First, find the sine. Since 

AB is the side opposite angle C, divide the length of  AB
8  8 4
by the length of the hypotenuse, AC : 10 , or 5, is the sine of angle C. The cosine of C is
equal to the side adjacent to angle C, side BC, divided by 
6 3
AC : 10 , or 5. The tangent of

AB 8 4
C is equal to  
BC
= 6, or 3.
B 6 C Be sure to know the sine, cosine, and tangent of these common angles:

30° 45° 60°

1 2
 
3
sine   
2 2 2

3 
2 1
cosine   
2 2 2

3

tangent 
3 1 3


 Practice

1. The bases of a right triangle measure x – 3 and 2. If the length of a base of right triangle DEF is 8 units
x + 4. If the hypotenuse of the triangle is 2x – 3, and the hypotenuse of triangle DEF is 85 units,
what is the length of the hypotenuse? what is the length of the other base?
a. 4 a. 4 units
b. 5 b. 8 units
c. 8 c. 82 units
d. 12 d. 16 units
e. 13 e. 32 units

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3. If the lengths of the bases of right triangle GHI 7. The hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle
are 9 units and 15 units respectively, what is measures x units. What is the length of a base of
length of the hypotenuse of triangle GHI? the triangle?
x2
a. 62 units a.  units
2
b. 334  units x
 units
b. 2
c. 934  units 1
c. x units
d. 18 units 2

e. 30 units d. x2 units

e. x2 units
4. If the longer base of triangle XYZ is three times
the length of the shorter base, a, what is the length 8. Angle Q of triangle PQR is a right angle, and side
of the hypotenuse in terms of the shorter base? QR measures 4 units. If the sine of angle P is equal
a. a2 to the sine of angle R, what is the length of side PR?
b. a3 a.
2
 units
4
c. a10 
2
d. 3a b. 
2
units
e. a2 c. 22 units
d. 42 units
5. Which of the following triangles is a multiple
of the triangle with sides measuring x, x – 5, and e. cannot be determined
x + 5, when x is greater than 0?
a. a triangle with sides measuring 1, 2, and 3 Use the diagram below to answer questions 9–10. Line
b. a triangle with sides measuring 3, 4, and 5 AB is parallel to line CD, and line GH is perpendicular
c. a triangle with sides measuring 1, 5, and 10 to lines AB and CD. The diagram is not to scale.
d. a triangle with sides measuring 5, 10, and 15
e. a triangle with sides measuring 5, 10, and 20 G
E

6. Angle T of right triangle TUV measures 45°. If

I
base TU measures 10 units, what is the length of A B
the hypotenuse of triangle TUV?
J K
a. 2 units C D
b. 102 units
c. 202 units H F
d. 452 units
e. 100 units
9. If line segment JK is 16 units long, what is the
length of line segment IK?
a. 4 units
b. 42 units
c. 82 units
d. 162 units
e. cannot be determined

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10. If line CD is 25 units from line AB, and the 13. If the hypotenuse of triangle ABC is 6x + 2 units
measure of angle IKD is 135°, what is the length long, what is the length of side AB?
of line segment IK? a. 6x + 2 units
a. 5 units b. 3x + 1 units
c. (3x + 1)3 units
b. 52 units
252 d. (6x + 2)2 units
c.  units
2 e. 12x + 4 units
d. 252 units
e. cannot be determined 14. If the sum of sides BC and AC is 12 units, what is
the length of side AB?
11. Given right triangle ABC with right angle B, a. 23 units
angle A is twice the size of angle C. If the meas- b. 4 units
ure of side AB is 7 units, what is the measure of c. 43 units
side AC? d. 8 units
a. 72 units e. 123 units
b. 73 units
c. 7 units 15. Triangle ABC is an equilateral triangle and tri-
d. 14 units angle CDE is a right triangle. If the length of side
e. 14 units AE is 20 units, what is the length of side BD?

Use the diagram below to answer questions 12–14. A

Angle C measures 60°. The diagram is not to scale.
8
A
C D
B

E
a. 12 units
B C
b. 14 units
c. 16 units
12. If the length of side AB is 9 cm, what is the length d. 18 units
of side BC? e. 20 units
3
a.  units
3
b. 3 units
c. 4.5 units
d. 33 units
e. 93 units

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 – RIGHT TRIANGLES –

x
16. If angle B of isosceles triangle ABC is a right 18. If the cosine of angle C is y, triangle ABC is not
angle, what is the tangent of angle A? isosceles, and x does not equal y, which of the
x
a. 0 following is also equal to y?
1 a. sine of angle A
b. 2
b. sine of angle C
c. 1
c. cosine of angle A
3
d. 
3 d. tangent of angle A
e. cannot be determined e. 2

15
Use the diagram below to answer questions 17–20. The 19. If the sine of angle A is 17 , what is the cosine of
diagram is not to scale. angle A?
8
a. 
17
A
8
b. 
15
12
c. 
17
17
d. 
15
15
e. 
8

B C 20. If the tangent of angle A is 0.75 and the measure

of side AB is 4 less than the measure of side AC,
17. If line AB measures 3x – 6, line BC measures x2 – 2x, what is the length of side BC?
and line AC measures 2x + 2, what is the tangent of a. 3 units
angle A? b. 4 units
a.
x
 c. 6 units
3
3 d. 8 units
b. 
x e. 12 units
3x – 6
c. 
2x + 2
(x2 – 2x)
d. 
(2x + 2)
2x + 2
e. 
3x – 6

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Use the diagram below to answer questions 21–25. 23. If the tangent of angle JIK is 3, then
Line EF is parallel to line GH, and line JL is perpendi- a. side LK is 3 times the length of side LM.
cular to lines EF and GH. The diagram is not to scale. b. side IJ is 3 times the length of side JK.
2
c. the sine of triangle JIK is 2 .
A d. the length of side IK is twice the length of
side JK.
J
E F e. the length of side IJ is equal to the length
I K of side JK.
M
G H
L
24. If angle KMH is three times the size of angle
B KML and the length of side JK is x6 units, what
is the length of side IK?
21. If the length of side KM is 10 units and the a. x2 units
length of side LM is 5 units, what is the measure b. 2x3 units
of angle KIJ? c. 3x units
a. 0.5° d. 3x2 units
b. 30° e. 2x6 units
c. 45°
d. 50° 25. If the length of side IJ is 2x – 2, the length of
e. 60° side IK is 2x + 1, the length of side KM is 3x – 1,
and the length of side LM is 2x + 2, what is the
22. If the length of side LM is 8 units and the sum of length of side LM?
angles IKJ and LKM is 60°, what is the length a. 9 units
of side KM? b. 12 units
163

c. 15 units
a. 3 units
d. 16 units
b. 82 units
e. 20 units
c. 83 units
d. 16 units
e. 163 units

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 C H A P T E R

12 Polygons

 Types of Polygons

A polygon is a closed figure with three or more sides. For example, a triangle is a polygon; so is a square. A cir-
cle, however, is not—it is a closed figure, but it does not have at least three sides.
You should be familiar with the names of polygons that have three to ten sides. A triangle is a polygon with
three sides. A quadrilateral has four sides, a pentagon has five sides, a hexagon has six sides, a heptagon has seven
sides, an octagon has eight sides, a nonagon has nine sides, and a decagon has ten sides.

 Regular Polygons

A regular polygon is an equilateral polygon—all sides of the polygon are the same length. An equilateral trian-
gle is a regular polygon.

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