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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Question from tanya, a student: A triangle has vertices at A(-3, 2) B ( -5,-6) and C (5,0) Find the equation of the line containing the median from the vertex A. |
Hi Tanya.
The median goes from a vertex to the midpoint of the opposite side.
Use the midpoint formula (that is just the average of the x values and the average of the y values of B and C) of the opposite side to determine the midpoint.
Then use the point-point form of a line equation with the vertex A and this midpoint to answer the question.
Point-point form: If the two points are (x1, y1) and (x2, y2), then the equation of the line through them is
You may want to convert the equation into standard form Ax + By = C as your final answer.
Cheers,
Stephen.
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