Triangle Properties: Identifying Height vs Median in Right Triangle

Look at the triangle below.

Which side is the height and which side is the median?

AAABBBCCCDDD

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Step-by-step video solution

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00:00 Identify both the height and the median in the given triangle
00:03 The height in the right triangle is AC
00:09 BC is also a height according to the given data, forming a right angle with the line
00:15 DC is also a height according to the given data, forming a right angle with the line
00:19 DC divides AB into two equal segments, therefore it is a median
00:23 This is the solution

Step-by-step written solution

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1

Understand the problem

Look at the triangle below.

Which side is the height and which side is the median?

AAABBBCCCDDD

2

Step-by-step solution

To solve this problem, we need to analyze the roles of line segment DC in the triangle ABC:

  • Step 1: Identify if DC is a height
    A height (altitude) is a line segment from a vertex perpendicular to the opposite side. The image suggests that line DC is vertical, with apparent perpendicularity to BC due to the presence of D near the center of the triangle, making DC a plausible height.

  • Step 2: Identify if DC is the median
    A median divides the opposite side into two equal lengths, from a vertex. Without explicit symmetry in the image, but assuming graphic accuracy and typical diagram problems, DC can be a median if D is the midpoint.

  • Step 3: Confirm if DC is both a height and a median
    In instances such as isosceles or equilateral triangles, a segment can be both. Given D’s position and symmetric considerations from vertex A, it's likely DC is both here.

Thus, line segment DC is both the median and the height.

Therefore, the correct answer is DC = median and height.

3

Final Answer

DC = median and height

Practice Quiz

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

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