Table Of Contents
What is a Line Segment?
Construction in geometry refers to the precise sketching of lines, shapes, or angles using pencils, rulers and compasses. A point is a very tiny dot that marks the beginning of a line segment or any shape. A line segment is a section of a line that joins two points along a line.
Different figures can be drawn by varying the number of line segments, and these figures can either be open or closed figures. Let’s take a look at a few features of line segments.
- It is a one dimensional figure
- A line segment has a definite length
- It has a beginning and an end point.
How to Construct a Line Segment?
A ruler or a combination of a ruler and compass are used to construct a line segment of a specific length.
Method 1: A ruler and a pencil can be used to directly draw and mark the line segment of required length on a given surface and this gives us a line segment with a length of our choice. The steps are simple:
– take a ruler and place it on a surface.
– Mark one point on the mark that states zero and another point on the ruler that reads the measurement of your choice.
– Join the two points and label them.
Method 2: A ruler, pencil and a compass can also be used to construct a line segment. The following steps are followed to construct a line segment using this set of geometric instruments:
Steps for Construction:
Let’s construct a line segment XY using a ruler and a compass.
Line Segment – Step 1
Step 1:Draw a line segment.
Step 2:
Place the point of the compass on the zero mark of the ruler and extend the compass to the required length with the help of a ruler. In case a replication of an existing line is being made, place the tip of the compass on one point and the tip of the pencil on the other point of the line to be measured as shown below.
Step 3:
Step 3: Mark a point A on the line and place the point of the compass on A. Without altering the changing the width of the compass mark an arc on the line. This arc indicates the distance between A and B.
These steps help us construct a line segment of a known length.
Solved examples
Example 1:
Which among the following is a line, and which one is a line segment?
Solution:
AB: It is a line as its length is not defined and its length stretches to infinity on both sides.
CD: It is a line segment as it has a defined set of end points
EF: It is a line segment as it has a defined set of end points.
Example 2:
Construct a line segment XY of length 8 cm on the line ‘m’.
Solution:
The line segment XY is 8 centimeters long and it is marked on the line ‘m’ using a ruler, pencil and a compass.
Step 1:Draw a line.
Step 2:Place the point of the compass on the zero mark of the ruler and extend the compass to reach the 8 cm mark with the help of a ruler.
Step 3
Step 3: Mark a point X on the line and place the point of the compass on X. Without altering or changing the width of the compass mark an arc on the line. This arc indicates the distance between X and Y.
The line given above represents the line segment which is eight centimeters long.
Example 3:
Chloe bought a wooden stick to complete a model for her science project. After measuring the height of the model she realizes that she needs a stick that is only 4 cm long. Help Chloe mark the stick according to the required length.
Solution:
Using a set of pencil, ruler and a compass, the following line can be marked on the stick.
The line AB is 4 centimeters long.
So Chloe can cut the portion AB of the wooden stick to use it in the model for her science project.