Probably this question should have been asked first at math.stackexchange.com, but afterADDED: After all the discussionedits and editingcomments, maybe it's simplest justuseful to provide an answeroutline a more detailed proof (based on the Bourbaki/Serre treatment of root systems). In any case Note that only the axiomatic theory of root systems is actually involved here, I'm reluctantleaving aside the origins in Lie algebras.
While developing basic facts about a (reduced) root system in a real euclidean space $E$, with Weyl group $W$, one needs to upvoteshow that there exist simple systems of roots $\alpha_1, \dots, \alpha_n$ and resulting positive systems (all conjugate under $W$). In particular, $W$ is generated by the questionreflections $s_i$ corresponding to the $\alpha_i$, and the positive roots have a natural partial ordering $\beta \leq \alpha$.
The proofs show that in part becausefact $W$ acts simply transitively on the added comments atsystems of simple roots. When all hyperplanes orthogonal to roots are removed from $E$, the endremaining open sets (Weyl chambers) are entirely mistakenthen permuted simply transitively by $W$. [To clarify One of these is the positive (or dominant) Weyl chamber denoted here by $K$, I'm referring todefined by the factcondition that $(\lambda, \alpha_i) > 0$ for all $\lambda \in K$ and all $\alpha_i$. Then one shows that the correct partclosure $\overline{K}$ is a fundamental domain for $W$: every element of what$E$ is said here requires much more theory$W$-conjugate to be filleda unique element of $\overline{K}$.
With this information in place, includingone can say more special things about an irreducible root system (one coming from a simple Lie algebra):
Under the partial ordering, there is a unique maximal root $\tilde{\alpha}$.
$W$ acts irreducibly on $E$.
There are at most two root lengths (long, short), those of the same length being $W$-conjugate (so only one of a given length can lie in $\overline{K}$). (If all roots are of equal length, the system is usually called "simply-laced".)
If there are two root lengths, $\tilde{\alpha}$ is long. Comparing with the dual root system (where long and short are interchanged), one sees that in this case there is a unique maximal short root $\alpha_0$ in the partial ordering of the original system. Moreover, $\alpha_0$ lies in $\overline{K}$.
Only at this point does the classification of irreducible root systems by Dynkin diagrams come into play. As I've indicated above, one can identify case-by-case work with the classification to determine orders of Weyl groups and numbers ofwhich highest/long short roots. This goes well beyond are orthogonal to particular simple roots; as noted, the basic theory of root systems and also needs more care about details of proofsonly cases where $\tilde{\alpha} \in K$ are types $A_1, A_2$.]