if the lengths of the segments are 5 inches and 20 inches, find the length of the altitude

Question

jigglypuff314 · Answer

could you try providing a diagram? :)

anonymous · Answer

the problem doesn't provide a diagram

jigglypuff314 · Answer

then what topic is this covering? :)
triangles? parallelograms?

anonymous · Answer

Ratio, proportion, and similarity

jigglypuff314 · Answer

are you sure there isn't a picture of the shape or something that goes alone with it? :/

anonymous · Answer

no its just a problem to solve

jigglypuff314 · Answer

then I'm not sure... sorry...
perhaps I can call for some help from some others that might know...
@jdoe0001 @Loser66 @agent0smith

anonymous · Answer

yes could you please

jdoe0001 · Answer

looks pretty ambiguous

inkyvoyd · Answer

@sharona ,either you have failed to provide us a diagram, or you are missing information. Check the problem again.

jdoe0001 · Answer

a segment it's just a line
could be altitude or any part of any polygon really

jdoe0001 · Answer

got picture?

anonymous · Answer

no no picture just applying skills

jdoe0001 · Answer

hehe, clairvoyance skills?   =)

inkyvoyd · Answer

I can't help you, and I doubt anyone else can help you with the information you are given. Could you please provide a screenshot of the problem?

jdoe0001 · Answer

well, to get an altitude, you'd need more info than that

anonymous · Answer

the altitude to the hypotenuse of a right triangle divides the hypotenuse into two segments

anonymous · Answer

thats all it says her and then they give me the problem

inkyvoyd · Answer

|dw:1389139789748:dw|

anonymous · Answer

here*

inkyvoyd · Answer

NOW the problem is solvable.

anonymous · Answer

yes this looks right can you please help me solve it

jdoe0001 · Answer

hehehe, so there's a picture you didn't provide =)

inkyvoyd · Answer

|dw:1389139837208:dw|
the three triangles are similar by AA similarity. That is, the two inner ones and the big one.
Therfore take
5/x=x/20
multiply both sides by x: 5=x^2/20
x^2-100=0
Solve that equation and take the positive solution, which will be your side length.

anonymous · Answer

no there is no picture i just learned this today in class and i am just so confused

jdoe0001 · Answer

ok.... so.... what you're after is the so-called "geometric mean" so following the picture by inkyvoyd it'd be like -> http://www.mathwarehouse.com/geometry/similar/triangles/geometric-mean.php notice in the picture below here running a line likewise from the top right-angle vertex, making right angle at the bottom gives 3 SIMILAR triangles the 2 smaller ones contained and the bigger one containing the smaller 2 so you use their ratio

jdoe0001 · Answer

and solve for "x"

anonymous · Answer

okay thanks a lot

jdoe0001 · Answer

yw