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What is the length of the altitude drawn to the hypotenuse? The figure is not drawn to scale

What is the length of the altitude drawn to the hypotenuse? The figure is not drawn-example-1
User Joseph Montanez
by
3.0k points

1 Answer

19 votes
19 votes

Answer:

h = 4∜17

Step-by-step explanation:

In a right triangle, if the legs are a and b, the hypotenuse is c, and the altitude to the hypotenuse is h, then using similar triangles,

a/h = h/H

h^2 = aH

so plug in your numbers. If the two you gave are the legs, then

h^2 = 4*4√17

h = 4∜17

User Raekkeri
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2.9k points