Fundamental Concepts
3. The Line Segment · Connecting two points with the shortest path
A line segment connects two distinct points with a straight path.
A line segment is a piece of a line bounded by two endpoints. Unlike a line, it has a measurable length. Drag A or B — AB always stays the straight path between the two endpoints, with the length you see updating live.
Stuck? Ask Guru
For subscribers · Selina ICSE: Fundamental Concepts
What this lesson covers
Try to break it
What happens if you drag A right on top of B? Does a line segment still exist?
How you build it
Draw a line segment AB.
- Click the Point tool and place endpoint A.
- Place endpoint B somewhere else.
- Click the Segment tool, then click A and B. The piece between A and B is the line segment AB — it has a fixed length.
The proof, step by step
Prove that the figure is a line segment with two fixed endpoints.
- A line segment has exactly two endpoints.
- It has a fixed length that can be measured.
- It is the shortest distance between its two endpoints.
Worked example
A line segment is defined by how many distinct endpoints?
By definition, a line segment is a part of a line bounded by two distinct end points.
- One
- Two — correct
- Three
- Infinite