Median in a triangle

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Median in a triangle

A median in a triangle is a line segment that extends from a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side, dividing it into two equal parts.

Additional properties:

  1. In every triangle, it is possible to draw 3 medians.
  2. All 3 medians intersect at one point.
  3. The median to a side in a triangle creates 2 triangles of equal area.
  4. In an equilateral triangle - the median is also a height and an angle bisector.
  5. In an isosceles triangle - the median from the vertex angle is also a height and an angle bisector.
  6. In a right triangle - the median to the hypotenuse equals half the hypotenuse.

Diagram of triangle ABC showing medians AD, BE, and CF intersecting at the centroid. The centroid divides each median into a 2:1 ratio, illustrating triangle centroid properties.

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Median in a triangle

In this article, we will learn everything you need to know about medians in a triangle! Don't worry, the material about medians in a triangle is both easy and straightforward to understand.

Define a median in a triangle?

A median in a triangle is a line segment that extends from a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side, dividing it into two equal parts.
Remember that "median" in real life represents the middle point, and similarly here it divides the side in the middle!

We can observe this in the following drawing:

Diagram of a triangle ABC with a median AD drawn from vertex A to the midpoint D of side BC, illustrating geometric properties of medians.

In triangle ABCABC
ADAD is a median - it extends from the vertex AA and divides the opposite side CBCB into two
equal parts: CD=BDCD=BD

Additional Properties of a Median in a Triangle:

  1. In every triangle, it is possible to draw 3 medians.
  2. All 3 medians intersect at one point.
  3. The median to a side of a triangle creates 2 triangles of equal area.


You can observe this below:

Diagram of triangle ABC showing medians AD, BE, and CF intersecting at the centroid. The centroid divides each median into a 2:1 ratio, illustrating triangle centroid properties.


Since there are 3 vertices in a triangle, there can be 3 medians.
Each median extends from a vertex to the opposite side and bisects it.
All medians intersect at one point.


Reminder:
How do we calculate the area of a triangle?

heightcorresponding side to height2height*corresponding~side~to~height \over 2

If we take for example the triangle ABCABC and want to calculate its area when:
ADAD height = 66
BC=8 BC = 8

Diagram of triangle ABC with median AD labeled. The length of median AD is shown as 6 units, and segment BD is labeled as 4 units, highlighting the geometric properties of a triangle's median.



We can deduce that the area of triangle ABCABC is:
682=24\frac{6*8}{2}=24
Now if we draw the median ADAD we can observe that the two triangles it creates are equal in area.
The side is divided in the middle thus it is identical in both triangles and the height is identical.
Therefore, the area of each created triangle is identical and will be equal to half the area of triangle ABCABC

642=12\frac{6*4}{2}=12

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3 important statements about medians:

  1. In an equilateral triangle - the median is also a height and an angle bisector.
    As shown in the figure:

    ADAD is a height to side CBCB
    and also a median to side CBCB (divides it into two equal parts)
    as well as an angle bisector

Diagram of an isosceles triangle with a median intersecting the base at a right angle. The median forms a perpendicular bisector, and the top angle is highlighted in purple.

AA

  1. In an isosceles triangle - the median drawn from the vertex angle is also a height and an angle bisector.
    Let's observe this in the figure below:
In an isosceles triangle - the median drawn from the vertex angle is also a height and an angle bisector.

ADAD is a median drawn from vertex angle AA.
It is also a height to side CBCB, as well as a median to CBCB, in addition to bisecting the vertex angle AA.


3. In a right triangle - the median to the hypotenuse equals half the hypotenuse.

We can observe this in the figure below:

In a right triangle - the median to the hypotenuse equals half the hypotenuse.

Triangle ABCABC is a right triangle.
CDCD is the median to the hypotenuse and equals half of the hypotenuse.
That is
CD=AD=DBCD=AD=DB

Exercise:

Given:

CDCD is a median in triangle ABCABC
CECE is a median in triangle ACDACD

AB=14AB=14

Diagram of a triangle with medians AD and CE drawn in orange and purple, intersecting at a single point inside the triangle. The vertices are labeled A, B, and C, while the midpoints of the sides are labeled D and E.

  1. Calculate the length of segment AEAE.
  2. Determine the area of triangle ECDECD if it is known that the area of triangle ACEACE is 66?
  3. Based on your answer in part b, determine the area of triangle DCBDCB

Solution:

  1. Let's mark the given information in the drawing.
Diagram of a triangle labeled A, B, and C, with medians AD (orange) and CE (purple). The length of CE is marked as 3.5. A green arc labeled 14 spans from vertex A to vertex B, highlighting the angle subtended by side AB.

Given that – AB=14AB =14
Since CDCD is a median,
AD=DB=7AD=DB=7
due to the fact that the median bisects the side at its midpoint.
Given that CECE is also a median.
Therefore AE=ED=3.5AE=ED=3.5.

2. Given that the area of triangle ACEACE is 66
The area of triangle ECDECD
must also be 66. A median divides the triangle into two triangles of equal area.

3. The area of triangle DCBDCB must be equal to the area of triangle ACD ACD.

Triangle ACDACD consists of two triangles with equal areas that sum up to 1212.
Therefore, the area of triangle DCBDCB is 1212.

Do you know what the answer is?

Examples with solutions for Parts of a Triangle

Exercise #1

Can a triangle have a right angle?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if a triangle can have a right angle, consider the following explanation:

  • Definition of a Right Angle: An angle is classified as a right angle if it measures exactly 9090^\circ.
  • Definition of a Right Triangle: A right triangle is a type of triangle that contains exactly one right angle.
  • According to the definition, a right triangle specifically includes a right angle. This is a well-established classification of triangles in geometry.

Thus, a triangle can indeed have a right angle and is referred to as a right triangle.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is Yes.

Answer

Yes

Exercise #2

Is the straight line in the figure the height of the triangle?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

The triangle's altitude is a line drawn from a vertex perpendicular to the opposite side. The vertical line in the diagram extends from the triangle's top vertex straight down to its base. By definition of altitude, this line is the height if it forms a right angle with the base.

To solve this problem, we'll verify that the line in question satisfies the altitude condition:

  • Step 1: Identify the triangle's vertices and base. From the diagram, the base appears horizontal, and the vertex lies directly above it.
  • Step 2: Check the nature of the line. The line is vertical when the base is horizontal, indicating perpendicularity.
  • Conclusion: The vertical line forms right angles with the base, thus acting as the altitude or height.

Therefore, the straight line depicted is indeed the height of the triangle. The answer is Yes.

Answer

Yes

Exercise #3

Is the straight line in the figure the height of the triangle?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the straight line is the height of the triangle, we'll analyze its role within the triangle:

  • Step 1: Observe the triangle and the given line. The triangle seems to be made of three sides and a vertical line within it.
  • Step 2: Recall that the height of a triangle, in geometry, is defined as a perpendicular dropped from a vertex to the opposite side.
  • Step 3: Examine the positioning of the line: The vertical line starts at one vertex of the triangle and intersects the base, appearing to be perpendicular.
  • Step 4: Verify perpendicularity: Given that the line is shown as a clear vertical (and a small perpendicular indicator suggests perpendicularity), we accept this line as the height.
  • Step 5: Conclude with verification that the line is effectively meeting the definition of height for the triangle in the diagram.

Therefore, the vertical line in the figure is indeed the height of the triangle.

Yes

Answer

Yes

Exercise #4

Can a plane angle be found in a triangle?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine whether a plane angle can be found in a triangle, we need to understand what a plane angle is and compare it to the angles within a triangle.

  • A plane angle is an angle formed by two lines lying in the same plane.
  • In the context of geometry, angles found within a triangle are the interior angles, which are the angles between the sides of the triangle.
  • Although the angles in a triangle are indeed contained within a plane (since a triangle itself is a planar figure), when referencing "plane angles" in geometry, we usually consider angles related to different geometric configurations beyond those specifically internal to defined planar shapes like a triangle.
  • The term "plane angle" typically refers to the measurement of an angle in radians or degrees within a plane, but this doesn't specifically pertain to angles of a triangle.

Therefore, based on the context and usual geometric conventions, the concept of a "plane angle" is not typically used to describe the angles found within a triangle. Thus, a plane angle as defined generally in geometry is not found specifically within a triangle.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is No \text{No} .

Answer

No

Exercise #5

Is the straight line in the figure the height of the triangle?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

In the given problem, we have a triangle depicted with a specific line drawn inside it. The question asks if this line represents the height of the triangle. To resolve this question, we need to discern whether the line is perpendicular to one of the sides of the triangle when extended, as only a line that is perpendicular from a vertex to its opposite side can be considered the height.

The line in question is shown intersecting one of the sides within the triangle but does not form a perpendicular angle with any side shown or the ground (as is required for it to be the height of the triangle). A proper height would typically intersect perpendicularly either at or along the extended line of the opposite side from a vertex.

Therefore, based on the visual clues provided and the typical geometric definition of a height (or altitude) in a triangle, this specific line does not fit the criteria for being a height.

Thus, we conclude that the line depicted is not the height of the triangle. The correct answer is No.

Answer

No

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