Activity C: Altitudes
All three lines that contain the altitudes of a triangle will intersect at the same point - the orthocenter.
Let the orthocenter be point O in the diagram.
11) Do all of the perpendicular bisectors meet at a point?
(Drag the vertices of the triangle to create a variety of triangles to check if this is always true)
12) Will the orthocenter always be located inside of the triangle? Why or why not?
13) What can you conclude about the location of the orthocenter based on the type of triangle you create?
14) What is another way to describe an altitude based on the black segments shown in the triangle?
15) Set the points of the triangle in one position, then don't change them.
Calculate the area of the triangle based on the lengths of the triangle sides and altitudes as shown.
16) How many ways can you find the area? Do you observe differences in the area? Why or why not?