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The cosine of an angle is the ratio of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse

only when the angle is in a right triangle. (Otherwise, how would you know

which side is the "hypotenuse" ?)

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12y ago

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The dose the Pythagorean Theorem only work on right triangles?

I quote " The square on the hypotenuse of a rightangled triangle..."


Why does the SSA postulate work only with the right triangle?

You can't use SSA or ASS as a postulate because it doesn't determine that the triangles are congruent; right triangles are most likely determined by HL: hypotenuse leg- genius!


Why does pythagorean theorem only work for right triangles?

The Pythagorean theorem applies specifically to right triangles because it defines a relationship between the lengths of the sides in a triangle where one angle is exactly 90 degrees. In this configuration, the lengths of the two legs (the sides forming the right angle) can be squared and summed to equal the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle). For triangles without a right angle, this relationship does not hold, as the properties of triangle geometry change, and the sum of the squares of the sides does not equal the square of the longest side. Thus, the theorem is uniquely suited to right triangles.


Will the pythagorean theorem work with the measure of the sides of any triangle?

The Pythagorean theorem only applies to right triangles, where one angle measures 90 degrees. It states that the square of the length of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides. For triangles that are not right triangles, different formulas, such as the Law of Cosines, must be used to relate the sides and angles.


How is trigonometry helpful?

Trigonometry is helpful in many fields of geometry and a few of them are:- It helps to identify different types of triangles It helps to work out the sides and interior angles of triangles It helps to work out the properties of polygons It helps to work out the properties of a right angle triangle with Pythagoras' theorem It helps with navigating and working out distances

Related Questions

How do you solve right triangles in Trigonometry?

you use the the 3 trigonometry functions , sin=opposite divided by hypotenuse cos=adjacent divided by hypotenuse tan=opposite divided by adjacent these are used to work out angles and side lengths in right angle triangles only!!! sine,cosine,tangent :)


Does pythagoras' theorem work for all triangles?

no only right triangles


Does the Pythagoream Theorem Work on all triangles?

No, only right triangles


What kind of triangles does the Pythagorean theorem work for?

All right-angles triangles. That is triangles that contain one angle at 90 degrees.


Does the Pythagorean Theorem work on all triangles with side length of 1?

It doesn't matter on the side length, but it MUST have a right angle.


Does the Pythagorean Theorem work on all triangles?

No, the pythagorean theorem only works on right triangles, but it will work on any right triangle. This is because the Pythagorean Theorem states that length of Leg A squared plus the length of Leg B Squared equals the length of the hypotenuse squared. A hypotenuse is always found opposite a right angle. Only right triangles have right angles; therefore, the Pythagorean Theorem only applies to right triangles. :D


Who used the Pythagoras theorem?

anyone doing work with right angled triangles


What sort of triangles does pythagoras's rule work in?

In a 'Right-Angled (90 degree)' triangle. h^(2) = a^(2) + b^(2) However, with suitable algebraic rearrangement, it can be made to work in any triangle.


Does the Pythagorean theorem work on isosceles triangles?

it depens if the isosceles triangle is a right triangle or not


An isosceles triangle has a base of 22 cm and a vertex angle of 36 degrees. Find its perimeter?

If the vertex angle is 36 degrees then the two base angles must be 72 degrees each. An isosceles triangle can be thought of as being two conjoined right angled triangles. So by halving the base we can work out the hypotenuse with the trigonometry ratio for the cosine. cosine = adj/hyp and when rearranged hyp = adj/cosine hyp = 11/cosine 72 degrees = 35.59674775 Perimeter = 35.59674775+35.59674775+22 = 93.1934955 cm


Why does the Pythagorean theorem work on only right triangles?

There is a Pythagorean theorem that actually works for every triangle. Its just that for right triangles it can be simplified to A2+B2=C2 due to the properties of cosines. The law of cosines states that for a triangle with sides A, B, and C, and angles a, b, and c (with side C being opposite angle c), C2 = A2 + B2 - (2 x A x B x cos c). This formula will work for any triangle. Now imagine that we are talking about a right triangle, with side C the hypotenuse (just like in the classic Pythagorean theorem) and angle c the right angle. The cosine of a 90 degree angle is 0, which means that the part in bold would completely drop out of the equation, leaving us with A2+B2=C2 . The cosine of any other angle possible on a triangle would result in some other number, making A2+B2=C2 not work.


Why does Pythagoreans theorem work for right triangles?

Its a special relationship that was observed by Pythogorous. It just kind of works