In the coordinate geometry plane, point A is the midpoint

Hi VJesus12,

This question can be solved with a bit of general graphing (you do not need to be hyper-accurate with your drawing to get the correct answer).

To start, we're told that in the coordinate geometry plane, Point A is the midpoint between points (5,8) and (-3, -2). Draw those two points on a graph and draw a line connecting them. Since (5,8) is so much 'further in' to Quadrant 1 than (-3,-2) is into Quadrant 3, the midpoint (Point A) will clearly be in Quadrant 1.

Next, graph the point (4, -1). Draw a line from Point A to this new point. This point is "down and to the right" from Point A.... and since this new point is the midpoint between Point A and Point B, we know that extending that line further "down and to the right" would lead us to Point B. Thus, Point B would clearly be in Quadrant 4.

Final Answer: D

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

VJesus12 wrote:In the coordinate geometry plane, point A is the midpoint between points (5,8) and (-3, -2). If the midpoint between point A and point B is (4, -1), in which quadrant does point B lie?

A. I
B. II
C. III
D. IV
E. None of the above

Using the midpoint formula, [(x_1 + x_2)/2 , (y_1 + y_2)/2], we can calculate the coordinates of point A:

[(5 - 3)/2, (8 - 2)/2] = (1, 3)

Now, let the coordinates of point B be (x, y). Using the midpoint formula again, we can create the equation:

((1 + x)/2, (3 + y)/2) = (4, -1)

This means (1 + x)/2 = 4 and (3 + y)/2 = -1. So we have:

(1 + x)/2 = 4 → 1 + x = 8 → x = 7 and (3 + y)/2 = -1 → 3 + y = -2 → y = -5

So the coordinates of point B is (7, -5), which is in quadrant IV.

Answer: D