Altitude of a triangle: Learn what an altitude of

Learn what an altitude of a triangle is, how to draw it, and how to use it to compute the area and other geometric quantities. Find out the formulas, theorems, and special cases of altitudes in different types of triangles. The altitude of a triangle is the perpendicular drawn from one of the vertices of a triangle to its opposite side. There can be three altitudes in a triangle. Learn about its definition, formulas, properties and some solved examples. A triangle is a three-sided polygon which has 3 vertices and 3 sides enclosing 3 angles. Based on the length of its sides, a triangle can be classified into scalene, isosceles and equilateral. The altitude of a triangle is a line from a vertex to the opposite side, that is perpendicular to that side, as shown in the animation above. A triangle therefore has three possible altitudes.