Triangle Height vs Median: Identifying Key Line Segments in ABC Triangle

Question

ABC is a triangle.

Which of the lines is the height and which is the median?

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Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Identify the height and the median
00:03 A height creates a right angle with the line it intersects
00:07 Therefore they are heights according to the given data
00:12 A median bisects the line it meets
00:15 Therefore BE is the median
00:18 This is the solution

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we need to correctly identify the height and median in the triangle ABC ABC .

  • Step 1: Understand the Definitions
    The height (or altitude) from a vertex of a triangle is a segment that is perpendicular to the line containing the opposite side. The median from a vertex is a segment that joins the vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side.
  • Step 2: Apply Definitions to Diagram
    - Line AB AB connects vertex A A to vertex B B , forming a perpendicular segment to base BC BC . Hence, it is a height.
    - Line EB EB connects vertex A A to point E E , the midpoint, dividing segment BC BC into two equal parts, thus acting as a median.
  • Step 3: Match to Answer Choices
    Having sorted the segments as the height and the median, match our findings to the provided choices. The choice indicating that BC+AB BC + AB is the height and EB EB is the median is correct.

Therefore, the solution to the problem is BC+AB= BC + AB = height, EB= EB = median.

Answer

BC + AB = height,

EB = median