Quadrilaterals with diagonals that don't bisect one another

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the properties of quadrilaterals, specifically focusing on whether the diagonals of various types of quadrilaterals bisect each other. Participants explore definitions and implications of bisection in the context of different quadrilateral shapes, including squares, rectangles, rhombuses, and trapezoids.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that none of the given quadrilaterals have diagonals that do not bisect each other, proposing that irregular quadrilaterals may exhibit this property.
  • Another participant clarifies the definition of bisection in geometry, indicating that it means to divide a line segment into two equal parts.
  • A participant asserts that the correct answer to the original question is trapezoid, as the diagonals of squares, rectangles, and rhombuses (all parallelograms) always bisect each other.
  • There is a discussion about the interpretation of the term "bisect," with some participants emphasizing the need for clarity on whether it refers to intersecting diagonals or specifically to equal division.
  • One participant elaborates on the concept of bisection by providing a geometric example involving quadrilateral ABCD and its diagonals.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the interpretation of the question regarding bisecting diagonals. There is no consensus on whether the answer is trapezoid or if none of the options are correct, as some participants focus on the definitions and implications of bisection.

Contextual Notes

There is ambiguity regarding the definitions and contexts in which "bisect" is used, leading to varying interpretations of the question. The discussion also highlights the distinction between convex and concave quadrilaterals in relation to diagonal properties.

teacher ARTHUR
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i have read this question from a book:

WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING QUADRILATERALS HAS DIAGONALS THAT DO NOT BISECT EACH OTHER?
A. SQUARE
B. RECTANGLE
C. RHOMBUS
D. TRAPEZOID

my answer is none of the given choices...
for irregular quadrilaterals may be... as concave polygon

I'M looking for forward for additional explanation, thank you...
 
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What does it mean to bisect a line segment?
 
diagonals form by two opposite vertices. Example given parallelogram ABCD then the diagonals are line segment AC and BD.
 
teacher ARTHUR said:
diagonals form by two opposite vertices. Example given parallelogram ABCD then the diagonals are line segment AC and BD.

That's true, but I was asking about bisection of a line segment. :)
 
Since the question is about diagonals bisecting each other, which effectively means they cut each other in half, the correct answer to the question is D. Trapezoid, since the others fall into the category of the parallelogram, whose diagonals always bisect.

When you said that none of the above was correct, I think what you were referring to was intersecting diagonals, in which case you would be correct. All 4 answers are convex quadrilaterals, so their diagonals will intersect. In concave ones (a boomerang for example), they do no intersect.

Hope this helped and it's not too late :)
 
If, for example, the word bisect is used in a different context, then it only means to divide in two parts. But in Geometry, it means to divide in two equal parts. Word bi means two and word sect means to cut. The answer therefore, as already posted above, is Trapezoid.
 
MarkFL said:
That's true, but I was asking about bisection of a line segment. :)
I believe the bisecting bit means that, given a quadrilateral ABCD, where AD and BC are the diagonals, say they intersect at point M; they bisect is AM = MD and BM = MD... Unless you already knew that.
 
IHateFactorial said:
I believe the bisecting bit means that, given a quadrilateral ABCD, where AD and BC are the diagonals, say they intersect at point M; they bisect is AM = MD and BM = MD... Unless you already knew that.

I was asking to see if the OP knew, in an effort to guide them to a solution. :)
 

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