51507012
Consider a right triangle with an acute angle of \(25^\circ\).
1. Explain geometrically why \(\sin(25^\circ)=\cos(65^\circ)\).
2. Given \(\sin(25^\circ)\approx 0.4226\) and \(\cos(25^\circ)\approx 0.9063\), find \(\tan(25^\circ)\) to four decimal places.
Hints
- What is the sum of the two acute angles in a right triangle?
- Compare the side used as the opposite leg for one angle with the side used as the adjacent leg for the other.
- Which identity relates tangent to sine and cosine?
Solution
1. The other acute angle is \(90^\circ-25^\circ=65^\circ\). The side opposite the \(25^\circ\) angle is the side adjacent to the \(65^\circ\) angle, and both ratios use the same hypotenuse. Therefore, \(\sin(25^\circ)=\cos(65^\circ)\).
2. Use \(\tan(\theta)=\frac{\sin(\theta)}{\cos(\theta)}\).
3. Then \(\tan(25^\circ)\approx\frac{0.4226}{0.9063}\approx 0.4663\).
Answer
1. The side opposite \(25^\circ\) is the side adjacent to \(65^\circ\), and both ratios use the same hypotenuse.
2. \(\tan(25^\circ)\approx 0.4663\)
