How to find the midpoint of a line segment

Help Questions

GRE Quantitative Reasoning › How to find the midpoint of a line segment

Questions 1 - 3
1

What is the midpoint of (2, 5) and (14, 18)?

(16, 23)

(–10, –13)

(7, 9)

(1, 2.5)

(8, 11.5)

Explanation

The midpoint between two given points is found by solving for the average of each of the correlative coordinates of the given points. That is:

Midpoint = ( (2 + 14)/2 , (18 + 5)/2) = (16/2, 23/2) = (8, 11.5)

2

A line which cuts another line segment into two equal parts is called a ___________.

bisector

midpoint

transversal

parallel line

horizontal line

Explanation

This is the definition of a bisector.

A midpoint is the point on a line that divides it into two equal parts. The bisector cuts the line at the midpoint, but the midpoint is not a line.

A transversal is a line that cuts across two or more lines that are usually parallel.

Parallel line and horizontal line don't make sense as answer choices here. The answer is bisector.

3

What is the midpoint between the points (1,3,7) and (–3,1,3)?

(2,2,5)

(–1,2,5)

(3,1,2)

(2,–1,5)

(5,2,4)

Explanation

To find the midpoint, we add up the corresponding coordinates and divide by 2.

\[1 + –3\] / 2 = –1

\[3 + 1\] / 2 = 2

\[7 + 3\] / 2 = 5

Then the midpoint is (–1,2,5).

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