
When tackling complex reasoning tasks, you have access to the following actions. Use them as needed to progress through your thought process.

[ASSESS]

[ADVANCE]

[VERIFY]

[SIMPLIFY]

[SYNTHESIZE]

[PIVOT]

[OUTPUT]

You should strictly follow the format below:

[ACTION NAME]

# Your action step 1

# Your action step 2

# Your action step 3

...

Next action: [NEXT ACTION NAME]


system
In triangle \( \triangle ABC \), where \( AB = 16 \), \( BC = 17 \), and \( CA = 18 \), point \( M \) is the midpoint of side \( AB \) and point \( H \) is the foot of the altitude from \( A \) to side \( BC \). Determine the length of \( HM \).
A) 6.25
B) 6.5
C) 6.75
D) 7
E) 7.25

Present the answer in LaTex format: \boxed{Your answer}
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