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smc

geometry senior

Problem

The line forms a triangle with the coordinate axes. What is the sum of the lengths of the altitudes of this triangle?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Solution
Clearly the line and the coordinate axes form a right triangle. Since the x-intercept and y-intercept are 5 and 12 respectively, 5 and 12 are two sides of the triangle that are not the hypotenuse, and are thus two of the three heights. In order to find the third height, we can use different equations of the area of the triangle. Using the lengths we know, the area of the triangle is . We can use the hypotenuse as another base to find the third height. Using the distance formula, the length of the hypotenuse is . Then , and so . Therefore the sum of all the heights is .
Final answer
E