Definition:Altitude of Prism
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Definition
An altitude of a prism is a line which is perpendicular to the bases of the prism.
In the above diagram, a line of length $h$ is an altitude of the prism $AJ$.
Also defined as
The word altitude is often used in the context of a geometric figure to mean the height.
However, on $\mathsf{Pr} \infty \mathsf{fWiki}$ it is preferred if the terms altitude and height are used specifically to mean respectively the perpendicular and its length, to avoid confusion.
Sources
- 1998: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (2nd ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): altitude: 1.
- 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): altitude: 1.