2. Medians and Altitudes of Triangles
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Use the fact that D is a midpoint of AC.
Median.
Name | Definition |
---|---|
Altitude | An altitude is a segment from a vertex to the line containing the opposite side and perpendicular to the line containing that side. |
Median | A median of a triangle is a segment with endpoints being a vertex of a triangle and the midpoint of the opposite side. |
Perpendicular Bisector | A perpendicular bisector is a segment bisector that is also perpendicular to this segment. |
Now let's consider the triangle marked in the picture.
From the diagram, we can see that AD and DC are congruent segments. Together they form segment AC, so D is a midpoint of AC. Therefore, BD meets the definition of median, because it connects a vertex of a triangle with the midpoint of the opposite side.