Question

right triangle trigonometry - sohcahtoa
right triangle trigonometry relates the sides of a right triangle to the angle measures of the two acute angles.
calculate the value for x.
answer (round to 1 decimal): x = (ie 1.2 or 16.0)

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the trig - ratio

We know $\tan\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}$. Here $\theta = 55^{\circ}$, the opposite side to the $55^{\circ}$ angle is $x$ and the adjacent side is $14$.

Step2: Set up the equation

$\tan(55^{\circ})=\frac{x}{14}$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

$x = 14\times\tan(55^{\circ})$. Since $\tan(55^{\circ})\approx1.4281$, then $x=14\times1.4281\approx19.9934\approx19.9$.

Answer:

$x\approx19.9$