Triangle Height Verification: Analyzing the Altitude's Perpendicularity

Question

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

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:03 Let's find out if the line in the picture is the height of the triangle.
00:08 A triangle's height starts at one corner and meets the opposite side at a right angle.
00:14 Since this line isn't at a right angle, it's not the height.
00:18 And that's how you solve this problem!

Step-by-Step Solution

To determine if the straight line in the figure is the height of the triangle, we must verify whether it is perpendicular to the base of that triangle.

The height (or altitude) of a triangle is defined as a line segment from a vertex perpendicular to the line containing the opposite side (often referred to as the base).

Upon examining the figure, we see a triangle and a straight line drawn from one vertex towards the opposite side. However, there is no indication or mark suggesting that this line is perpendicular to the base.

Without explicit evidence of perpendicularity, such as a right-angle marking, we cannot assume that the line is the height of the triangle.

Thus, based on the geometric principles related to altitudes in triangles, we conclude the solution to the problem:

No, the straight line in the figure is not the height of the triangle.

Answer

No