Because they give you a 60 degree angle and a right angle, we know this is a 30 60 90 triangle. Because of the properties of a 30 60 90 triangle, we know that if the shortest side (the bottom) is referred to as b, the hypotenuse will be 2 times the value of b (2b) and the side x would be b times the square root of 3. To solve this you would divide 12 by 2 to get b, which would be 6. To get the side you're solving for, x, you would then multiply 6 by the square root of 3. this is your answer.
If each 1/2 is cut in 4 than you would have to multiply that by 2 because it's only half. Then since you're finding what fraction is it you would put a 1 on top and say 1/8.
