Unit 5 - Lesson 1: Similar Right Triangles

Geometric Mean (Leg) Theorem

In a right triangle, the altitude from the right angle to the hypotenuse divides the hypotenuse into two segments. The length of each leg of the right triangle is the geometric mean of the lengths of the hypotenuse and the segment of the hypotenuse that is adjacent to the leg.

Geometric Mean (Altitude) Theorem

In a right triangle, the altitude from the right angle to the hypotenuse divides the hypotenuse into two segments. The length of the altitude is the geometric mean of the lengths of the two segments.

altitude of a triangle

a perpendicular segment from a vertex to the line containing the opposite side

When triangles are similar, their corresponding side lengths are ____________________________.

proportional

geometric mean

the positive number x such that a/x=x/b