Explanation:
In this scenario, line segment QR is divided into three equal parts by points C and D. Given that C is less than D, we need to determine where point C falls on the number line when Q is equal to -3 and R is equal to 9.
To find the position of point C, we can use the concept of proportionality.
Step 1: Calculate the length of the entire line segment QR by subtracting the coordinates of Q from the coordinates of R:
QR = R - Q = 9 - (-3) = 9 + 3 = 12
Step 2: Divide the length of QR by 3 to find the length of each part when the line segment is divided into three equal parts:
Length of each part = QR / 3 = 12 / 3 = 4
Step 3: Starting from point Q, count 4 units on the number line to locate point C:
Q -3 -> -2 -> -1 -> 0 -> C
So, point C falls at 0 on the number line when Q is -3 and R is 9.
It's worth noting that the coordinates of points C and D are not explicitly given in the question. However, by dividing the line segment QR into three equal parts, we can determine that point C falls at 0 on the number line.