Constructing Altitudes and Finding the Orthocenter

The Organic Chemistry Tutor

This geometry tutorial provides a visual demonstration of how to identify and draw the altitudes of triangles. It covers the definition of an altitude as a line segment connecting a vertex perpendicular to the opposite side. The video systematically progresses through three specific cases: acute triangles, right triangles, and obtuse triangles, illustrating how the location of the altitudes changes based on the triangle's classification. A key focus of the video is the concept of concurrency, demonstrating that the three altitudes of a triangle always intersect at a single point called the orthocenter. The narrator shows that for acute triangles, this point is inside; for right triangles, it is on a vertex; and for obtuse triangles, it lies outside the shape. The video uses clear digital whiteboard drawings to visualize extending sides for obtuse triangles, a concept that often confuses students. **Important Pedagogical Note:** Teachers should be aware that while the visual demonstration of drawing *altitudes* is correct, the narrator repeatedly and incorrectly uses the term "medians" instead of "altitudes" throughout the latter half of the video (e.g., at 1:33, 4:24, 7:00). This provides a unique educational opportunity to test students' active listening and vocabulary mastery by asking them to identify the spoken error while verifying the correct visual procedure.