There are so many shapes around us made up of lines and curves like line segments, angles, triangles, polygons and circles etc. These shapes are of different sizes and measures.
Measuring Line Segments
- The length of a line segment can be defined as the distance between its endpoints.
- A ruler or a divider is generally used to find the lengths of line segments.
Methods to compare Line Segments on basis of their lengths
We can compare any line segment on the basis of their length in the following ways.
1. Comparison by Observation
- We can tell which line segment is greater than other just by observing the two line segments.
- But,Sometimes it is difficult to tell which one is greater.
- Example - Here we can clearly say that AB > CD
- Example -
Here it becomes difficult to tell if the line segments are of same length or one line segment is bigger than the other.
2. Comparison by Tracing
- In this method we have to trace one line on paper then put the traced line segment on the other line to check which one is greater.
- But this is a difficult method because every time to measure the different size of line segments we have to make a separate line segment.
3. Comparison using Ruler and a Divider
- We can use a ruler to measure the length of a line segment.
Put the zero mark at point A and then move toward l to measure the length of the line segment, but it may have some errors on the basis of the thickness of the ruler.
- This could be made accurate by using a Divider.
- Put the one end of the divider on point A and open it to put another end on point B.
- Now pick up the divider without disturbing the opening and place it on the ruler so that one end lies on “0”.
- Read the marking on the other end and we can compare the two lines.