SOLUTION: Given a right triangle with legs 8 and 5, find the measure of the two acute angles. (Round to the nearest hundredth.) I don't understand I know the legs are 8 and 5 but don't I st

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Question 745942: Given a right triangle with legs 8 and 5, find the measure of the two acute angles. (Round to the nearest hundredth.)
I don't understand I know the legs are 8 and 5 but don't I still need a hypotenuse before finding acute angles??
Answer by savvyhush23(50) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Given a right triangle with legs 8 and 5, find the measure of the two acute angles. (Round to the nearest hundredth.)
I don't understand I know the legs are 8 and 5 but don't I still need a hypotenuse before finding acute angles??
.
.
No need, remember it is a right triangle, means it has a 90 degree angle.
use arctangent to find the two acute angles:
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Let x and y be the legs of the angle,
Choose whether x = 8 and y = 5 or x = 5 and y = 8,
The formula for getting the angle:angle=tan%5E-1%28x%2Fy%29
angle=tan%5E-1%288%2F5%29=58 and angle=tan%5E-1%285%2F8%29=32
To check your solution, the sum of the interior angles of any triangle is 180 degree. So, 58 + 32 + 90 = 180