Question

Given that line CD is a perpendicular bisector of triangle ABC, if side AB has a length of 11 and side AC has a length of 14 what is the length of side CD? Write your answer to the
nearest hundredth

Answer 1

Answer:

12.87

Step-by-step explanation:

Since we know that line CD is a perpendicular bisector, triangle ACD is a right triangle, and thus we can apply the Pythagorean theorem to determine the length of side CD. Since the Pythagorean theorem states that a^2 + b^2 = c^2, where c is the hypotenuse and a and b are the adjacent sides, we can plug in the values of side AD and AC.

As side CD is the bisector of side AB, sides AD and DB are both half the length of side AB, so:
AD = 11/2
AD = 5.5

We now know two values of our equation, and thus we can solve for the missing third value.

5.5^2 + b^2 = 14^2
14^2 - 5.5^2 = b^2
196 - 30.25 = b^2
165.75 = b^2
$\sqrt{165.75} = b$
b = 12.87