The Lesson
To find the missing angle of an isosceles triangle, use two facts:- the interior angles of a triangle add up to 180°.
- two angles in the isosceles triangle are equal to each other.
If either of the angles (A or B) is unknown, it can be found as long as the other angle is known.
How to Find the Missing Angle in an Isosceles Triangle
Finding the missing angle in an isosceles triangle is easy. The method is different depending on whether the missing angle is a vertex angle or a base angle.Finding the Missing Vertex Angle
The vertex angle is the angle between the two sides of equal length.Question
What is the missing angle A in the isosceles triangle below?Step-by-Step:
1
Which angle is which?
The missing angle A is between the two sides of the same length. It is a vertex angle.
The other two angles are base angles and are equal to each other.
2
The angles add up to 180°.
A + 70° + 70° = 180°
3
Find A by subtracting the known angles from 180°.
A = 180° − 70° − 70° = 40°
Answer:
The missing angle A is 40°.Finding a Missing Base Angle
The base angles are the two angles that are not between the two sides of equal length.Question
What is the missing angle B in the isosceles triangle below?Step-by-Step:
1
Which angle is which?
The missing angle B is not between the two sides of the same length. It is a base angle.
The 30° angle is the vertex angle because it is between the two sides of the same length.
The other angle that is not labelled is the other base angle. It is equal to B.
2
The angles add up to 180°.
30° + B + B = 180°
30° + 2B = 180°
3
Subtract the known angle from both sides of the equation.
30° + 2B − 30° = 180° − 30°
2B = 150°
4
Divide both sides of the equation by 2.
2B ÷ 2 = 150° ÷ 2
B = 75°