A line segment is a part of a straight line that is bounded by two distinct endpoints, meaning it has a definite starting point and ending point. It contains every point on the line between these two endpoints and has a fixed, measurable length
. Key characteristics of a line segment include:
- It is one-dimensional with length but no width
- It differs from a line, which extends infinitely in both directions without endpoints, and from a ray, which has one endpoint and extends infinitely in the other direction
- It is often denoted by placing a bar over the symbols of its endpoints, for example, AB‾\overline{AB}AB
- The length of the line segment is the distance between its two endpoints, which can be calculated if their coordinates are known
In geometry, line segments form the sides of polygons and can be edges or diagonals depending on their position relative to vertices of polygons or polyhedra
. In summary, a line segment is a finite, measurable part of a line defined by two endpoints.
