Midsegments in a Triangle

A midsegment in a triangle is a segment formed by connecting any two midpoints of the triangle. A triangle has three sides and a midpoint for each side. Thus any triangle has three distinct midsegments. A midsegment is half the length of the third side of the triangle. It is also parallel to the third side of the triangle, therefore their slopes are equal. (Note: A midsegment is created by midpoints of any two sides of the triangle and so the third side is the side of the triangle opposite the midsegment.) Drag any of the vertices of the triangle. Verify the properties of the midsegment by referring to the tables on the right as you drag a vertex.