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| Math Central | Quandaries & Queries |
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Prove that the line joining the midpoint of two sides of a triangle is parallel to the third and half of it. |
Manis,
Call the vertices A, B, and C (these are vectors)
The midpoint of the segment XY is (X+Y)/2 (also a vector).
The vector expressing the length and direction of the side is (Y-X). (This is a "free vector" that represents a difference of locations, not a location).\
Use this to answer the question.
Good Hunting!
RD
PS: Then for an encore use the same tools to show that the midpoints of the edges of any quadrilateral ABCD form the vertex set of a parallelogram. Have fun!
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