If I know the length of the hypotenuse and one angle, how do i find the length of the side opposite to the angle?

In this problem, we are concerned with the hypotenuse and the opposite sides of the right angle triangles. From SOHCAHTOA we can see that the opposite (O) and hypotenuse (H) are associated with the sine function (S). This is the 'SOH' part of SOHCAHTOA. The function that involves Sine, O and H is the following: Sin(Angle)=O/HWe know the hypotenuse and the angle so we need to rearrange the equation to make O the subject. To do this one must multiply both sides by H i.e. move the H from the bottom of the right hand side of the equation to the top of the left hand side of the equation resulting in the following equation: H x Sin(Angle)=OIf we had values for the hypotenuse and the angle we could then use this equation to calculate the length of the opposite side.

JC
Answered by Jake C. Maths tutor

3048 Views

See similar Maths GCSE tutors

Related Maths GCSE answers

All answers ▸

James is 7 years older than Kate. Sam is twice as old as James. The sum of their ages is 77. Find the ratio of Kate's age to James' age to Sam's age.


Expand 2a (4 + a)


Given that x : y = 7 : 4 and x + y = 88, calculate x - y.


How do I divide fractions?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning