Question

Explain the steps in finding the midpoint of the points (-1,2) and (3,-6).Then state what the midpoint is.

Answer 1

(2,4)

⚠ If you are in a rush, only read the bold.

Find the differences between both the X and Y value:

X difference = 4 (-1 and 3)

Y difference = 8 (2 and -6)

Divide both of these numbers by two (to find the middle):

X: 4 ÷ 2 = 2

Y: 8 ÷ 2 = 4

Almost done! Now, combine the points into an address: (2,4)

Answer 2

(1,-2)

1) Since we have 2 points we can plug them into this formula that tells us where the midpoint is:

`M=((x_1+x_2)/(2),\text{ }(y_1+y_2)/(2))`

2) Plugging them:

`\begin{gathered} (-1,2)\text{ and (3,-6)} \\ M=((-1+3)/(2),(2-6)/(2)) \\ M=((2)/(2),-(4)/(2)) \\ M=(1,-2) \end{gathered}`

So the midpoint is located using the average of each point in each end. Therefore, the midpoint of this line segment is at (1,-2)