Study on Line

A line is nothing more than a collection of points arranged in a single direction. A line segment, on the other hand, is a piece of a line that is encompassed by two endpoints. One side of the line has an endpoint in a ray, while both sides of the line in a line segment are enclosed with points on both ends. You may notice that most of the things around you are made up of lines and curves when you look at them. Furthermore, the majority of the shapes are made up of a combination of these lines and curves.

Line and Line segment

A line segment is a portion of a line that connects two points. The length of the line segment remains constant, as does the distance between them. A line can be measured in centimetres, millimetres, metres, inches, or feet in metric units. The distinction between a line and a line segment, as previously stated, is that a line segment has two endpoints but a line continues endlessly. A ray or a half-open line segment is when just one side of the line has an endpoint. There is no formula for line segments.

Line Segment Measurement

How do you measure a line segment? We will study in a variety of ways here.

1. Through observation

Simple observation is the most basic approach of comparing two line segments. One can tell which line segment is longer or shorter than the other just by looking at them.

Here, we can tell that line segment CD is longer than line segment AB just by looking at it. However, there are significant limitations to this method, and we cannot always rely on observation to compare two line segments.

2. Working with Trace Paper

Two line segments can be easily compared with the use of tracing paper. If you trace one line segment and position it over the other, you can quickly determine which is longer. Repeat the technique until you have more than two line segments.

The line segments must be carefully traced for precise comparison. As a result, this method is dependent on tracing accuracy, which is a restriction.

3. Using a Divider and a Ruler

As illustrated in the diagram below, there are specific lines on the ruler that start at zero and divide the ruler into equal sections.

Each part is 1 cm in length, and these unit centimetres are further subdivided into 10 parts, each of which is 1 millimetre in length.

Place the zero marking of the ruler along the beginning of the line segment AB and measure its length accordingly.

The length of line segment AB in the diagram above is 8 cm.

A divider is used to correct the placement issue. Place one of the divider’s needles at A and the other at B, then measure the length of the divider along the ruler. This procedure is more precise and trustworthy.

Line Segment Construction

We’ll learn how to draw a line segment with a compass and a ruler or scale in this lesson. This is another example of a line segment. Consider the situation where we need to draw a 10 cm long line segment math definition. Then take the following steps:

Step 1: Draw a straight line of any length without measuring it (considering the length of the line segment).

Step 2: On the line, mark a point Q that will be the beginning of the line segment.

Step 3: Using a scale or a ruler, measure 10 cm from the pointer of the compass to the tip of the pencil lead.

Step 4: Place the compass pointer at point P on the line once more, and draw an arc with the pencil using the same measurement.

Step 5: Label this point on the pencil’s end as point Q.

Line Segments Examples

In 2D geometry, the most typical example is when all polygons are made up of line segments.

Three line segments are linked end to end to form a triangle.

Four line segments create a square.

Five-line segments create a pentagon.

As a result, line segments play a crucial function in geometry.

Vertical line

Vertical line referred to a line drawn parallel to the Y-axis in a coordinate plane. It’s the line that runs from top to bottom and from bottom to top. The x-coordinate for any location along this line will be the same. A horizontal line, on the other hand, is a line that runs from left to right and is parallel to the x-axis.

There is no slope to the vertical lines. The slope is not defined because it runs parallel to the y-axis. As a result, the equation for a vertical line crossing the x-axis at any point ‘a’ is x = a, where x is the coordinate of a point on the line and ‘a’ is the point where the lines cross the x-intercept.

Conclusion

So to conclude a line is a figure with only one dimension, consisting of its length but not its width. A line is constructed by connecting a series of points that are placed in opposite directions along its length. It is determined by two points located in a plane that only has two dimensions. The two points that are collinear with one another are those that are located on the same line.