What Does straight line Mean
In the realm of geometry , a line is an indefinite and continuous succession of points . The adjective straight , meanwhile, refers to that which has no angles or curves .
A straight line has a single dimension and runs in the same direction . It has an infinite number of points and can therefore be extended indefinitely in both directions .
Along with the point and the plane , the line is one of the fundamental entities of geometry. This means that it lacks its own definition: it is understood through the description of other elements with similar or similar characteristics.
The straight line is also mentioned as the shortest distance that exists between two points on the same plane. In general, a straight line is named by a lowercase letter: line a , line b , etc.
When a straight line is cut, two rays arise . Each ray is formed by all the points located on one side of the fixed point where the cut occurred (called the origin ). In this way, a ray develops indefinitely in only one direction, unlike the line.
The two rays arising from the intersection of a straight line are classified as opposites . These rays share the origin .
In colloquial language , the idea of a straight line is linked to the absence of turns or detours . For example: "The young man entered the room and advanced in a straight line to the bar" , "The vehicle went straight towards the house and ended up hitting the door . "
One of the most common mistakes made by younger students is the assumption that the straight line has a finite length . This is due to several reasons: on the one hand, it is difficult for a child to understand the concept of "infinity", since we do not have an example at hand to observe it, but we must accept it in theory; on the other hand, it influences that the graphic representation of this concept does have a beginning and an end.
This leads us to confuse the straight line with the segment and the ray, for example, since all three are represented in similar ways on the school blackboard . Years later, we carried this misunderstanding into our everyday lives as adults, and we unwittingly spread it in everyday speech. In the realm of mathematics , this distortion outside of academia is very common.
The usefulness of the straight line concept is also a bit of a mystery, but we can use it for various tasks, ranging from the simple location of various objects in a drawing to the complex process of identifying three-dimensional objects that cannot be seen by the camera. in a video game or movie.
In principle, we can study the equation proposed by analytical geometry , the branch of mathematics that focuses on the deep study of figures, their areas, distances, volumes, points of division and angles of inclination, among other of its many properties. . The equation of the straight line, therefore, is the following: y = mx + b .
The variables x and y are components of a Cartesian plane , a class of orthographic coordinates that are used to graphically represent certain concepts in mathematics. In this particular case, we must imagine two axes, X and Y , where these variables help us to establish a point.
On the other hand is the m , which is known as the slope of the line , since it affects its inclination with respect to the Cartesian axes. The b finally called independent term and is the point where the line crosses the vertical axis.