Question

if you are given the two sides that are not the hypotenuse, which trig function should you use? cotangent sine cosine tangent

Explanation:

Step1: Recall trigonometric function definitions

In a right - triangle, \(\sin\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{hypotenuse}}\), \(\cos\theta = \frac{\text{adjacent}}{\text{hypotenuse}}\), \(\tan\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}\), \(\cot\theta=\frac{\text{adjacent}}{\text{opposite}}\)

Step2: Analyze when non - hypotenuse sides are used

If we are given the two non - hypotenuse sides (opposite and adjacent), the ratio of these two sides is given by the tangent function (\(\tan\theta=\frac{\text{opposite}}{\text{adjacent}}\)) or cotangent function (\(\cot\theta=\frac{\text{adjacent}}{\text{opposite}}\)). But in the standard trigonometric function set (sine, cosine, tangent), when we consider the ratio of the two non - hypotenuse sides, the tangent function is the one that directly uses the two non - hypotenuse sides.

Answer:

tangent