Find the altitude of the isosceles triangle shown in the figure.Round your answer to two decimal places.
A)2.00
B)11.00
C)5.50
D)22.00
E)7.50

Question

Find the altitude of the isosceles triangle shown in the figure.Round your answer to two decimal places. ​   ​
A)2.00 
B)11.00 
C)5.50 
D)22.00​ 
E)7.50

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Since the triangle is isosceles, we know that the altitude will divide the base into two equal parts. Therefore, we can divide the base length of 11 units in half to get 5.5 units. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we can find the altitude as follows:

altitude^2 = (leg length)^2 - (half base length)^2
altitude^2 = 10^2 - 5.5^2
altitude^2 = 100 - 30.25
altitude^2 = 69.75
altitude ≈ 8.35

Rounding this to two decimal places gives us an altitude of 8.35. However, none of the answer choices match exactly. The closest answer choice is C, which is 5.50, rounded to two decimal places. While this is not the exact value, it is the best choice among the answer options.

Find the Altitude of the Isosceles Triangle Shown in the Figure.Round