Problem:
In triangle , let be the midpoint of side . Let and be the feet of the perpendiculars to from and , respectively. Prove that .
Problem:
In triangle , let be the midpoint of side . Let and be the feet of the perpendiculars to from and , respectively. Prove that .
Solution:
We have . Also, since they are vertical angles. (It seems possible that and could lie on the same side of , so that and would be supplementary rather than equal; however, if they were supplementary and unequal, then one of them, say , would be , so the sum of the angles of would be , a contradiction.) These equal angles imply . But , so in fact , giving .
Solution:
Let be the foot of the perpendicular from to . Then, using the formula and the fact that is the midpoint of , we get
Multiplying by now gives .