How Many Endpoints Does a Ray Have

How Many Endpoints Does a Ray Have

Edited By Team Careers360 | Updated on Apr 05, 2023 03:09 PM IST

Introduction

A Ray has one endpoint, and it is a part of the line. It is a combination of a line and a line segment with one eternally extending end and one terminating end. Its length cannot be determined because one end is non-terminating.

So, Ray has only one endpoint.

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Explanation

In daily life, we come across different angles, like the hands of a clock, a slice of pizza, and an arrowhead pointing in a particular direction. To mention a ray, for instance, is a light beam that originates from a flashlight and travels in a single path indefinitely. The light would extend as far as you can imagine, making it the endlessly long portion of the ray, and the flashlight would be its endpoint. Hence we must understand the rays and angles originating from it.

  • Naming of the ray: A ray has one endpoint from which a line goes out infinitely. Typically, the line bears an arrow tip at the end to indicate that it is endless. When we name a ray, we call the letter representing the endpoint first and the letter expressing any one point on the ray. Then, we add a unidirectional arrow over the two letters.

  • Correlation of rays and angles: By arranging them differently, rays enable us to create various angles. When two rays have a shared termination, an angle is formed. The two rays are referred to as the angle's sides, and the shared termination is known as the vertex.

Important Facts About Rays

  • We cannot measure the length of a ray.

  • Each ray travels only in one direction. This means the ray's path is 1D.

  • A ray is named by its endpoint and any other point on the ray. For example, the ray with endpoint A and a point on ray B is called ray AB.

  • A ray is half of a line. If two rays have the same endpoint, they form a line.

  • A ray is not a closed figure and has no area.

Conclusion

The geometric shape known as a ray has no height or width. There is simply an infinite length to it. A ray's origin point must always be listed in its name. Two rays are required to create an angle.

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