Playing with Constructions | Class 6 Mathematics Notes

Copying a Line Segment

Copying a line segment means drawing another line segment equal in length to a given one without measuring the length directly. This is an important skill in geometric constructions. Suppose we want to copy line segment AB. First, draw a ray PQ starting at point P. Place the compass pointer at point A and open it to the length of AB by drawing an arc from A to B. Without changing the compass width, place the compass pointer at P and draw an arc intersecting the ray PQ at point R. Join points P and R to get the line segment PR, which is equal in length to AB. This method ensures that the copied segment is exactly the same length as the original without using a scale. Copying line segments is essential for constructing triangles and other polygons where side lengths are given.

📊 Diagram: This figure has two components.

🧪 Activity: Copy various line segments given in the textbook using compass and ruler to practice precision.

🔗 Connection: Leads to constructing perpendicular bisectors which use arcs and compass techniques.