Triangle Median Practice Problems and Worksheets

Master triangle medians with step-by-step practice problems. Learn to find medians, calculate areas, and solve centroid problems in triangles.

📚Master Triangle Medians with Interactive Practice
  • Identify and draw all three medians from vertices to opposite side midpoints
  • Calculate median lengths in right triangles using the hypotenuse rule
  • Find areas of triangles created when medians divide the original triangle
  • Solve problems involving medians in equilateral and isosceles triangles
  • Locate the centroid where all three medians intersect
  • Apply median properties to find missing side lengths and angles

Understanding Parts of a Triangle

Complete explanation with examples

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.

Detailed explanation

Practice Parts of a Triangle

Test your knowledge with 36 quizzes

Which of the following is the height in triangle ABC?

AAABBBCCCDDD

Examples with solutions for Parts of a Triangle

Step-by-step solutions included
Exercise #1

Look at the triangle ABC below.

AD=12AB AD=\frac{1}{2}AB

BE=12EC BE=\frac{1}{2}EC

What is the median in the triangle?

AAABBBCCCEEEDDD

Step-by-Step Solution

A median in a triangle is a line segment connecting a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. Here, we need to find such a segment in triangle ABC \triangle ABC .

Let's analyze the given conditions:

  • AD=12AB AD = \frac{1}{2}AB : Point D D is the midpoint of AB AB .
  • BE=12EC BE = \frac{1}{2}EC : Point E E is the midpoint of EC EC .

Given that D D is the midpoint of AB AB , if we consider the line segment DC DC , it starts from vertex D D and ends at C C , passing through the midpoint of AB AB (which is D D ), fulfilling the condition for a median.

Therefore, the line segment DC DC is the median from vertex A A to side BC BC .

In summary, the correct answer is the segment DC DC .

Answer:

DC

Exercise #2

Look at triangle ABC below.

What is the median of the triangle and to which side is it drawn?

AAABBBCCCDDDEEE

Step-by-Step Solution

A median of a triangle is a line segment that connects a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. In triangle ABC \triangle ABC , we need to identify such a median from the diagram provided.

Step 1: Observe the diagram to identify the midpoint of each side.

Step 2: It is given that point E E is located on side AC AC . If E E is the midpoint of AC AC , then any line from a vertex to point E E would be a median.

Step 3: Check line segment BE BE . This line runs from vertex B B to point E E .

Step 4: Since E E is labeled as the midpoint of AC AC , line BE BE is the median of ABC \triangle ABC drawn to side AC AC .

Therefore, the median of the triangle is BE BE for AC AC .

Answer:

BE for AC

Exercise #3

Given the following triangle:

Write down the height of the triangle ABC.

AAABBBCCCEEEDDD

Step-by-Step Solution

An altitude in a triangle is the segment that connects the vertex and the opposite side, in such a way that the segment forms a 90-degree angle with the side.

If we look at the image it is clear that the above theorem is true for the line AE. AE not only connects the A vertex with the opposite side. It also crosses BC forming a 90-degree angle. Undoubtedly making AE the altitude.

Answer:

AE

Video Solution
Exercise #4

In an isosceles triangle, the angle between ? and ? is the "base angle".

Step-by-Step Solution

An isosceles triangle is one that has at least two sides of equal length. The angles opposite these two sides are known as the "base angles."
The side that is not equal to the other two is referred to as the "base" of the triangle. Thus, the "base angles" are the angles between each of the sides that are equal in length and the base.
Therefore, when we specify the angle in terms of its location or position, it is the angle between a "side" and the "base." This leads to the conclusion that the angle between the side and the base is the "base angle."

Therefore, the correct choice is Side, base.

Answer:

Side, base.

Exercise #5

Look at the two triangles below. Is EC a side of one of the triangles?

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Step-by-Step Solution

Every triangle has 3 sides. First let's go over the triangle on the left side:

Its sides are: AB, BC, and CA.

This means that in this triangle, side EC does not exist.

Let's then look at the triangle on the right side:

Its sides are: ED, EF, and FD.

This means that in this triangle, side EC also does not exist.

Therefore, EC is not a side in either of the triangles.

Answer:

No

Video Solution

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you find the median of a triangle step by step?

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To find a triangle median: 1) Identify a vertex and the opposite side, 2) Find the midpoint of the opposite side by dividing its length by 2, 3) Draw a line segment from the vertex to this midpoint. This line segment is the median, and it divides the opposite side into two equal parts.

What is the difference between median, altitude, and angle bisector in triangles?

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A median connects a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. An altitude is perpendicular from a vertex to the opposite side. An angle bisector divides an angle into two equal parts. In equilateral triangles, all three are the same line, while in isosceles triangles, they coincide only for the vertex angle.

How many medians does every triangle have and where do they meet?

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Every triangle has exactly 3 medians - one from each vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side. All three medians always intersect at a single point called the centroid, which divides each median in a 2:1 ratio from vertex to midpoint.

What is the median to hypotenuse rule in right triangles?

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In a right triangle, the median drawn to the hypotenuse equals half the length of the hypotenuse. If the hypotenuse is 10 units, then the median to the hypotenuse is 5 units. This creates two equal segments from the right angle vertex to each end of the hypotenuse.

How do you calculate the area when a median divides a triangle?

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When a median divides a triangle, it creates two smaller triangles with equal areas. Each smaller triangle has an area equal to half the original triangle's area. Use the formula: Area = (base × height) ÷ 2, where the base is half the original side length.

What are the special properties of medians in isosceles triangles?

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In an isosceles triangle, the median drawn from the vertex angle (between the two equal sides) has special properties: it is also the altitude (height) and the angle bisector. This median is perpendicular to the base and divides the vertex angle into two equal parts.

How do you solve triangle median problems involving multiple medians?

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For problems with multiple medians: 1) Use the fact that medians bisect sides to find segment lengths, 2) Apply the equal area property - medians create triangles with equal areas, 3) Remember that all medians meet at the centroid, 4) Use specific triangle properties (right, isosceles, equilateral) when applicable.

What grade level typically learns about triangle medians in geometry?

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Triangle medians are typically introduced in middle school geometry (grades 7-8) and studied more extensively in high school geometry (grades 9-10). Students learn basic median properties first, then progress to more complex applications involving centroids and area calculations.

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