The legs of a right triangle have lengths of 3 and 4. What is the length, to the nearest tenth, of the altitude to the hypotenuse?
So I know the length of the hypotenuse is 5, and I know the formula for finding the altitude of a right triangle, but how do I "split" the hypotenuse into 2 different segments to find the altitude?
The answer options are:
a. 4.1
b. 3.6
c. 5
d. 2.4
Thanks! x

Question

The legs of a right triangle have lengths of 3 and 4. What is the length, to the nearest tenth, of the altitude to the hypotenuse?
So I know the length of the hypotenuse is 5, and I know the formula for finding the altitude of a right triangle, but how do I "split" the hypotenuse into 2 different segments to find the altitude?
The answer options are:
a. 4.1
b. 3.6
c. 5
d. 2.4
Thanks! x

phi · Answer

There is an interesting property of right triangles:
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