Question

Can you help? How does tan60 equal `sqrt3` ?

Answer 1

Please see the explanation.

Explanation:

Consider an equilateral triangle with side length = 2, draw the

altitude from one of vertices, it will bisect the angle and it would be

the perpendicular bisector of the opposite side and it divides the

equilateral triangle into 2 equal right triangles. The hypotenuse is 2

the shorter side is 1 so the longer side is:

`sqrt(2^2-1^2)=sqrt3`

Now the longer side is opposite to the 60 degrees angle and:

`tan=` `opposite`/`adjacent` , thus in this case:

`tan60=(sqrt3)/1=sqrt3`