Line facts for kids
A line is the path of one point moving. A line has length but no width. A line is a type of geometric figure.
A line is made up of an endless number of points.
Straight and curved lines
A line can be straight or curved. In geometry, the word line means a straight line. A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. A straight line is the line traced by a point moving in a direction that does not change.
A curved line is sometimes called a curve. The edge of a circle is not straight and is an example of a curve.
Line segments
A line segment is part of a line. Here is an example of a straight line segment:
Naming lines
Lines can get their names from any two points on the line. For example, if a line contains two distinct points, named 
and 
, then the line can be called either 
, or 
.
Sometimes, lines are also named with just one symbol. In which case, a letter such as 
might be used.
Two lines
Two lines can be:
- Parallel: Two lines are parallel if they are on the same plane and they never touch.
- Concurrent: Two lines are concurrent if they touch on one point.
- Coincident: Two lines are coincident if they are made of the same points.
- Perpendicular: Two lines are perpendicular if they make four right angles where they touch.
- Skew: In Euclidean space, two lines are skew if they are not parallel but they never touch.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Line para niños
