Let’s go step by step to fill in the blanks for each center of the triangle.
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1. Circumcenter
- Created By: The circumcenter is created by the
perpendicular bisectors of the sides of the triangle. (You can see in the diagram that lines are drawn perpendicular to the sides and cutting them in half — those are perpendicular bisectors.)
- Important Facts:
“The
circumcenter is equidistant from each
vertex of the triangle.”
→ Why? Because it’s the center of the circle that passes through all three vertices (the circumcircle), so distance to each vertex is the radius.
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2. Incenter
- Created By: The incenter is created by the
angle bisectors of the triangle. (In the diagram, you see arcs showing angles being split equally — those are angle bisectors.)
- Important Facts:
“The
incenter is equidistant from each
side of the triangle.”
→ Why? Because it’s the center of the circle that touches all three sides (the incircle), so the perpendicular distance to each side is the same (radius).
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3. Centroid
- Created By: The centroid is created by the
medians of the triangle. (A median connects a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side — in the diagram, you see marks showing equal segments on the sides, meaning midpoints.)
- Important Facts:
“A
median is created by a
vertex connected to the
midpoint of the opposite side.”
→ This defines what a median is — and the centroid is where all three medians meet.
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4. Orthocenter
- Created By: The orthocenter is created by the
altitudes of the triangle. (An altitude is a line from a vertex perpendicular to the opposite side — in the diagram, you see right-angle symbols at the base, showing perpendicularity.)
- Important Facts:
“An
altitude is created by a vertex connected to the opposite side so that it is
perpendicular to that side.”
→ That’s the definition of an altitude — and the orthocenter is where all three altitudes intersect.
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Final Answer:
Circumcenter
Created By: Perpendicular Bisectors
Important Facts: The
circumcenter is equidistant from each
vertex of the triangle.
Incenter
Created By: Angle Bisectors
Important Facts: The
incenter is equidistant from each
side of the triangle.
Centroid
Created By: Medians
Important Facts: A
median is created by a
vertex connected to the
midpoint of the opposite side.
Orthocenter
Created By: Altitudes
Important Facts: An
altitude is created by a vertex connected to the opposite side so that it is
perpendicular to that side.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of centers of triangles worksheet.