Geometry and TrigonometryEasy–MediumCosine from two legs
Geometry and Trigonometry practice question
A right triangle has legs of length 7 and 24. What is the cosine of the angle between the hypotenuse and the leg of length 24?
- A. 24/25Correct
- B. 7/25
- C. 7/24
- D. 24/7
Answer: A. 24/25
The hypotenuse is √(7² + 24²) = √625 = 25. The angle sits between the hypotenuse and the 24 leg, so 24 is ADJACENT: cos = 24/25.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. 7/25
- 7/25 is the SINE of that angle (opposite over hypotenuse).
- C. 7/24
- 7/24 is the tangent (opposite over adjacent).
- D. 24/7
- 24/7 is adjacent over opposite, the reciprocal of the tangent.
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