Can You Find Triangle Sides with Only Angle Information?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether it is possible to determine the sides of a right triangle using only the angles of the triangle. Participants explore this question in the context of a related problem involving cones and a cylinder in a calculus class, where angle information is provided but not sufficient to find the required dimensions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions if the sides of a right triangle can be determined solely from the angles.
  • Another participant asserts that it is not possible, explaining that similar triangles with the same angles can have different side lengths.
  • A participant mentions a calculus problem involving two cones and a cylinder, indicating that they only know the angles of the cones and need to find the radius to calculate volume.
  • One participant requests more details about the calculus problem to provide better assistance, suggesting that the radius may not be necessary if other information is available.
  • There is a discussion about posting the same question in multiple threads, with some participants expressing concern over fairness in forum usage.
  • Another participant defends their choice to ask related questions in different forums, explaining their reasoning for seeking help on the triangle-related issue.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the initial question regarding triangle sides and angles. There are competing views on the appropriateness of posting similar questions in multiple threads, leading to a debate about forum etiquette.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the sufficiency of angle information for determining triangle dimensions and the relevance of additional details in the calculus problem. There are unresolved aspects regarding the specific requirements of the calculus question.

ziddy83
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I was wondering if you can find the sides of a right triangle if you only know the angles of the triangle...i couldn't think of a trig ID or any law..if there is, id like to know it, thanks.
 
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No, you cannot. To see this, take ANY right triangle and multiply the lengths of each side by the same scale factor such as 2. The resulting triangle has exactly the same angles as the original triangle (i.e. it is similar to the original triangle) but it is a distinctly different triangle.
 
ok that's what i thought, but i have a problem for my calculus class. its got three containers, two are cones, and the other is a cylinder. I only know the anlge of the two cones, and nothing else. And i need the radius to find the volume, so I am not sure how to do that. I have to find the rate at which water is leaking out of one of the cones...
 
ziddy,
can u post the entire question properly?
It may be so that the radius of the base of the cone may not be necessary at all. Since i see u need to find the rate of water flow, i guess they might have given u the cross sectional area of the opening...

In any case, its better if u post the entire problem here...

-- AI
 
well my bad...sorry you didnt like it. i was asking a question related to traingles at first, so i didnt want to post it in the other forum. And he asked to see the question and i gave HIM the link. so...sorry sir, he wanted to help me... so i gave him the link. Who says that you can't ask more than one person for help?
 
ziddy83 said:
well my bad...sorry you didnt like it. i was asking a question related to traingles at first, so i didnt want to post it in the other forum. And he asked to see the question and i gave HIM the link. so...sorry sir, he wanted to help me... so i gave him the link. Who says that you can't ask more than one person for help?

I would like to add,actually to clarify what i meant by "fair play".Apparently u've gotten this part wrongly.It's fair-play not a specific person (you can ask the same question to as many people u want,in some cases you might get different answers),but to the forum itself.Loading the server with posts on the same debate by the same person.That's not fair play.Surely,had it been somebody else to pose the same question,maybe he would have gotten the link and clarify his question indirectly via somebodyelse's posts.

Daniel.
 
ok well...when i originally asked my first question, i hadnt received a reply for about 2 days or so. In the meantime i sort of figured out how to do my porblem, so i was asking another question related to triangles, so i thought i shouldn't ask that question in the CALCULUS forums. so i went to the general math forums. and i thought it would be good to explain why i was wanting the information on the triangles. so i hope this calrifies your confusion.
 

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