The measure of an angle is 81.5°. What is the measure of its complementary angle?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the measure of the complementary angle of an angle that measures 81.5°. To find the complementary angle, we subtract the given angle from 90° since complementary angles add up to 90°.
Answer
The complementary angle is $8.5°$.
Answer for screen readers
The measure of the complementary angle is $8.5°$.
Steps to Solve
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Identify the given angle We have the given angle, which measures 81.5°.
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Understand complementary angles Complementary angles are two angles that add up to 90°. To find the complementary angle of the given angle, we will need to use the equation: $$ \text{Complementary Angle} = 90° - \text{Given Angle} $$
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Calculate the complementary angle Substituting the value of the given angle into the equation: $$ \text{Complementary Angle} = 90° - 81.5° $$
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Perform the subtraction Now, we can perform the subtraction: $$ \text{Complementary Angle} = 8.5° $$
The measure of the complementary angle is $8.5°$.
More Information
The concept of complementary angles is important in various fields such as geometry and trigonometry. Understanding how to find complementary angles can help in solving many geometric problems.
Tips
- A common mistake is to subtract from 180° instead of 90°. Remember that complementary angles always sum to 90°, not 180°.
