Question

Use the given information to find the lengths of the other two sides of the right triangle if side a is opposite angle A, side b is opposite angle B, and side c is the hypotenuse.
cos(B) = 4/5, a = 8

Answer 1

SOH CAH TOA tells you

... cos(B) = a/c

... 4/5 = 8/c

... c = 10 . . . . . multiply by 5c/4

By the Pythagorean theorem,

... b = √c² -a²) = √(10² -8²) = √36 = 6

The lengths of the other two sides are: b = 6, c = 10.

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You can tell from the value of the cosine that this is a 3-4-5 right triangle. You can tell from the value of "a" that the scale factor is 2. That means the other two sides are 6 and 10.