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if there is a right triangle with the hypotenuse being 5 units and the long leg being 4 uits, what would the formula be to find angle x between the ypotenuse and the shorter leg?
 Feb 17, 2012
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apersonwithaquestion:

if there is a right triangle with the hypotenuse being 5 units and the long leg being 4 uits, what would the formula be to find angle x between the ypotenuse and the shorter leg?



5^2=4^2+x^2
5^2-4^2=x^2
x=sqrt(5^2-4^2)
x=sqrt(25-16)
x=sqrt(9)
x=3 (shorter leg length)

cos( alpha ) = x/hypotenuse
alpha = acos( x/hypotenuse )
alpha = acos( 3/5 )
[input]acos( 3/5 )[/input]
 Feb 17, 2012

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