About Line Segment Vs Ray
Line Segment
A line segment is a one-dimensional shape, since it has length but no width. It is determined by two points in a one-dimensional plane. Two points on the same line segment are referred to as collinear points, and they are a part of a line.
The length of a line segment is fixed, and is the distance between two fixed points. The length here can be measured by metric or customary units such as centimeters (cm), millimeters (mm), feet (ft), yards (yd) or inches (in).
Properties of a Line Segment
- A line segment has a fixed length
- A line segment has two endpoints
- It has just one dimension, which is length, hence does not have thickness
What are Rays?
A ray is a segment of a line with a single endpoint (i.e., a starting point) and infinite extension in a single direction.
Properties of a Ray
- A ray has only one defined end point
- One end of a ray can be produced to infinity
- It is a one dimensional geometric shape, which has only length
Solved Examples
Example 1: List down all the line segments from the given image.
Solution:
The number of line segments are:
- Line segment GH
- Line segment GI
- Line segment HI
Example 2:
Label all the lines and rays from the given image.
Solution:
The line segments are:
- Line segment UR
- Line segment UP
- Line segment PR
- Line segment TP
- Line segment TS
- Line segment PS
- Line segment PQ
The rays are:
- Ray PQ
- Ray PS
- Ray PR
- Ray PT
- Ray PU
Example 3:
The image demonstrates the trajectory of a ray of light. Paul was asked to make a list of all the rays in this situation. Help him with the same.
Solution:
The list which Paul needs to submit are as follows.
- Ray AB
- Ray CD
- Ray EF
A ray and a line segment are both one dimensional figures, the ray has one fixed point, but the line segment has two fixed points.
The phrase one dimensional indicates that only a single type of measurement can be used to define the physical existence of a geometric shape. A line segment and a ray are examples of one dimensional shapes as their lengths are the only entities that can be measured, not their width or height.
Any light source that emits a single beam of light like a laser is a good example of a one dimensional shape. Yet another example of a one dimensional shape is a ray of sunlight.
A line segment is denoted by a ‘bar’ (-) on the top of its notation.