16Hit1600
Geometry and TrigonometryVery hardArea of a right triangle from its hypotenuse and an angle

Geometry and Trigonometry practice question

A right triangle has a hypotenuse of length 10 and one acute angle measuring 60°. What is the area of the triangle?

  1. A. 25√3/2Correct
  2. B. 25√3
  3. C. 25/2
  4. D. 50√3

Answer: A. 25√3/2

This is a 30°-60°-90° triangle: the short leg is half the hypotenuse, 5, and the long leg is 5√3. Area = (1/2)(5)(5√3) = 25√3/2.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. 25√3
25√3 is the product of the legs without the 1/2.
C. 25/2
25/2 uses 5 for both legs, as if the triangle were isosceles; the second leg is 5√3.
D. 50√3
50√3 is 10 × 5√3, using the hypotenuse as a leg.

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