ACT Math : ACT Math

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for ACT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #2981 : Act Math

What is the sine of the angle formed between the origin and the point  if that angle is formed with one side of the angle beginning on the -axis and then rotating counter-clockwise to ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

You can begin by imagining a little triangle in the fourth quadrant to find your reference angle.  It would look like this:

Sin410

Now, to find the sine of that angle, you will need to find the hypotenuse of the triangle. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, , where  and  are leg lengths and  is the length of the hypotenuse, the hypotenuse is , or, for our data:

The sine of an angle is:

For our data, this is:

Since this is in the fourth quadrant, it is negative, because sine is negative in that quadrant.

Example Question #2981 : Act Math

What is the sine of the angle formed between the origin and the point  if that angle is formed with one side of the angle beginning on the -axis and then rotating counter-clockwise to ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

You can begin by imagining a little triangle in the third quadrant to find your reference angle. It would look like this: 

Sin38

Now, to find the sine of that angle, you will need to find the hypotenuse of the triangle. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, , where  and  are leg lengths and  is the length of the hypotenuse, the hypotenuse is , or, for our data:

The sine of an angle is:

For our data, this is:

Since this is in the third quadrant, it is negative, because sine is negative in that quadrant.

Example Question #2982 : Act Math

If , what is the value of  if ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Recall that the  triangle appears as follows in radians:

454590rad

Now, the sine of  is . However, if you rationalize the denominator, you get:

Since , we know that  must be represent an angle in the third quadrant (where the sine function is negative). Adding its reference angle to , we get:

Therefore, we know that:

, meaning that 

Example Question #1 : How To Find Positive Sine

If , what is ?  Round to the nearest hundredth.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Recall that the sine wave is symmetrical with respect to the origin. Therefore, for any value , the value for  is . Therefore, if  is , then for , it will be .

Example Question #11 : Sine

In a right triangle, cos(A) = . What is sin(A)?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In a right triangle, for sides a and b, with c being the hypotenuse, . Thus if cos(A) is , then c = 14, and the side adjacent to A is 11. Therefore, the side opposite of angle A is the square root of , which is  Since sin is , sin(A) is .

Example Question #2985 : Act Math

51213

What is the value of ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

As with all trigonometry problems, begin by considering how you could rearrange the question. They often have hidden easy ways out. So begin by noticing:

Now, you can treat  like it is any standard denominator. Therefore:

Combine your fractions and get:

Now, from our trig identities, we know that , so we can say:

Now, for our triangle, the  is . Therefore,

Example Question #1 : How To Find Positive Sine

Solve for :

 if 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Recall that the standard  triangle, in radians, looks like:

Rt1

Since , you can tell that .

Therefore, you can say that  must equal :

Solving for , you get:

 

Example Question #1 : How To Find A Missing Side With Sine

You have a 30-60-90 triangle. If the hypotenuse length is 8, what is the length of the side opposite the 30 degree angle?

Possible Answers:

4√3

4√2

3√3

4

3

Correct answer:

4

Explanation:

sin(30º) = ½

sine = opposite / hypotenuse

½ = opposite / 8

Opposite = 8 * ½ = 4

Example Question #2 : How To Find A Missing Side With Sine

If a right triangle has a 30 degree angle, and the opposite leg of the 30 degree angle has a measure of 12, what is the value of the hypotenuse?

Possible Answers:

12 * 21/2

18

24

12 * 31/2

15

Correct answer:

24

Explanation:

Use SOHCAHTOA. Sin(30) = 12/x, then 12/sin(30) = x = 24.

You can also determine the side with a measure of 12 is the smallest side in a 30:60:90 triangle. The hypotenuse would be twice the length of the smallest leg.

Example Question #2 : How To Find A Missing Side With Sine

Circle_chord_2

The radius of the above circle is  is the center of the circle. . Find the length of chord .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We can solve for the length of the chord by drawing a line the bisects the angle and the chord, shown below as .

Circle_chord_4

In this circle, we can see the triangle  has a hypotenuse equal to the radius of the circle (), an angle  equal to half the angle made by the chord, and a side  that is half the length of the chord.  By using the sine function, we can solve for .

The length of the entire chord is twice the length of , so the entire chord length is .

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