Recall that if the altitude is drawn to the hypotenuse of a right triangle, then the two triangles formed are similar to the original triangle and to each other.
x≈3.5 ft
Practice makes perfect
Let's begin with recalling that if the altitude is drawn to the hypotenuse of a right triangle, then the two triangles formed are similar to the original triangle and to each other. Now, let's take a look at the picture. We will label the vertices with consecutive letters.
According to the theorem we recalled at the beginning, △ ABC is similar to △ BDC. Therefore, the corresponding sides of these triangles are proportional.
AC/AB=BC/BD ⇓
7/4.6=5.3/x
We can solve the above proportion for x using cross multiplication.
