Right Triangle Trig
From Pythagoras to sine, cosine and tangent, one triangle at a time.
Right Triangle Trig begins with vocabulary: which side is opposite a marked angle, which is adjacent and which is the hypotenuse. Students then use the Pythagorean theorem to find a missing side, check Pythagorean triples and test whether a triangle with three given sides is a right triangle.
The middle of the game covers the 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 triangles, then sine, cosine and tangent. Students find a side, find an angle with an inverse ratio, and solve scenes with a ladder, a ramp, a kite, a lighthouse or a tree and its shadow, including angles of elevation and depression. Every triangle is drawn to the stated lengths.
What children practice
- Name the opposite side, adjacent side and hypotenuse for a marked angle
- Find a missing side with the Pythagorean theorem
- Recognize triples and test whether a triangle is a right triangle
- Use the side ratios of 45-45-90 and 30-60-90 triangles
- Write sine, cosine and tangent as ratios and use them to find a side
- Find an angle with an inverse ratio and solve elevation and depression problems
Levels
- Name the sides: Opposite, adjacent, hypotenuse
- Pythagorean theorem: Legs and hypotenuse
- Triples and tests: Is it a right triangle?
- Special triangles: 45-45-90 and 30-60-90
- Sine, cosine, tangent: The three ratios
- Find a side: Trig with an angle
- Find an angle: Inverse trig, elevation, depression
- Heights and mix: Course mix
How it works
- Eight levels move from naming sides to heights and mixed review, and each triangle can appear turned or mirrored.
- From Level 5 on, the game assumes a calculator in degree mode, and the hints give the calculator values.
- Your child needs five right answers plus the practice timer to unlock each following level.
- Answers come from choices, typed numbers with the rounding stated, ordering steps, sorting and matching.
Best for: A good fit for grades 9 to 11 when a student is starting right triangle trigonometry in Geometry or reviewing it in Algebra 2.
Tip for parents: Look for a ramp, a ladder or a flagpole shadow together and ask your child which two lengths they could measure. Then ask which ratio would connect them.
Questions parents ask
Do students need a calculator?
Levels 1 through 4 need none. From Level 5, when sine, cosine and tangent values are used, a calculator in degree mode is assumed and every hint gives the calculator values.
How are answers rounded?
Each question states the rule, such as the nearest tenth, the nearest whole unit or the nearest degree. Radicals are written in simplest form, for example 7 root 2.
Does it cover angles of elevation and depression?
Yes. Level 7 pairs inverse trig with those angles, and Level 8 uses scenes with heights, such as a tree and its shadow, in a mix of everything covered earlier.
Ready to try it?
Right Triangle Trig is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.