Solids, angles and quadrilaterals · Usually met around P2
Horizontal and vertical lines, and rays
Count end points: 0 a line, 1 a ray, 2 a segment.
How to do it
Method
Count end points: 0 a line, 1 a ray, 2 a segment
A torch beam is like a ray; a ruler's edge like a segment
Another way
Imagine drawing on
It finishes: a segment. It never ends one way: a ray
In full
A straight line going left to right, level like the ground, is horizontal, like a calm sea; one going straight up and down, at a right angle to a horizontal line, is vertical, like a flagpole. A line goes on forever both ways and has no end points, so it is drawn with an arrow at each end; a line segment has two end points and can be measured; a ray has one end point and goes on forever the other way, like the beam from a torch. To tell them apart, count the end points: 0 is a line, 1 is a ray, 2 is a segment. Or imagine drawing it on and on: one you can finish is a segment, and one that never ends one way is a ray.
Worked examples
Have a go first, then open each one for the answer and the working.
Example 1
Is the picture a line, a ray or a line segment?
- A. A line segment
- B. A ray
- C. A curve
- D. A line
Choose the right answer
Show the answer and working
Answer: A. A line segment
Count the end points (dots): 0 is a line, 1 a ray, 2 a segment.
Example 2
How many of them in the picture are horizontal (lines, rays and segments all count)?
Show the answer and working
Answer: 1
Horizontal ones go left to right, level like the ground: 1 of them.
Example 3
The picture has □ lines, □ rays and □ line segments.
Fill in each box
Show the answer and working
Answer: 2，2，2
Count end points: 0 is a line (2), 1 a ray (2), 2 a segment (2).
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