Question

The line segment AB joining the points A(2, -4) and B(5, 2) is trisected at the points C(3, a) and D(b, a). Find the value of a & b. A) a = -2, b = 8 B) a = -1, b = 7 C) a = 0, b = 6 D) a = 1, b = 5

Answer 1

The value of a is 1 and the value of b is 0.0211.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the value of a and b, we need to find the coordinates of points C and D. Since the line segment is trisected, we can use the section formula. The x-coordinate of C is the average of the x-coordinates of A and B, which is 3. The y-coordinate of C can be found using the section formula: a = -4 + (2/3)(2 - (-4)). Solving for a, we get a = 1. The x-coordinate of D can also be found using the section formula: b = 2 + (2/3)(5 - 2). Solving for b, we get b = 0.0211.

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