How do you find the altitudes of a triangle?

Question

Step by step, easy format please
I will be using a protractor and a ruler, not a calculator

thankyou in advance

Answer 1

An altitude of a triangle is a straight line through a vertex and perpendicular to (i.e. forming a right angle with) the opposite side. This opposite side is called the base of the altitude, and the point where the altitude intersects the base (or its extension) is called the foot of the altitude. The length of the altitude is the distance between the base and the vertex. The three altitudes intersect in a single point, called the orthocenter of the triangle. The orthocenter lies inside the triangle if and only if the triangle is acute. The three vertices together with the orthocenter are said to form an orthocentric system.

With the information above, draw a triangle on the paper in front of you. For our discussion make it pretty big.

There are three sides to the triangle, and there are going to be three altitudes. Where they meet is the orthocenter.

Pick one of the sides and turn your paper until it is horizontal left to right in front of you. This is our base line.

For ease of communicating, the angle on the left side of the base line is "A". The angle on the right side of the base line is called "B". The last angle (opposite the base line) is called "C".

Place the protractor on one end of the base line and open it to "C". Draw a very light arc from "C" through the base line to a point approximately opposite "C".

Place your protractor on the other end of the base line and open it to point "C" and draw another arc.

With your ruler, draw a line between the two points where the two arcs intersect.

You have now drawn an altitude.

Turn your paper around until another side is horizontal to you. Rename the angles as we did before.
Repeat the steps.

Turn your paper one more time and repeat the steps.

You now have the three altitudes and wihere they cross is the orthocenter.

I found a link (below) for you to see pictures and check out the explanations. Good luck.

Answer 2

If you are using a ruler, you can measure the altitude of a triangle, simply draw a 90 degree line to the base of the triangle that meets the tallest angle in the triangle and measure it.