Definition
Height
Height is a vertical measure, or a perpendicular measure from a chosen base.
What it means
Think of height as a straight up-and-down measure. For a triangle or parallelogram, first choose the base, then look for the shortest straight route to the opposite part: it must meet the base at a right angle. Choosing a different base can give the same shape a different height.
Remember it
Choose the base, then drop a right-angle measure to the opposite part.
Example
A triangle uses a 10 cm side as its base. The perpendicular segment from that base to the opposite vertex is 6 cm, so the triangle’s height relative to that base is 6 cm.
Watch for
A slanting side is not automatically the height; the geometric height must be perpendicular to the chosen base.
Common mix-up
Height is not one fixed segment for every orientation. The chosen base decides which perpendicular distance is the height.
Exact meaning
In measurement, height is usually the vertical distance from a reference level to a top point. In geometry, a height is the perpendicular distance from a chosen base line to the opposite point or parallel side, and it may lie outside the shape.