Question 1 A Rhombus has coordinates \( \mathrm{A}(-3,1), \mathrm{B}(1,3), \mathrm{C}(3,7), \mathrm{D}(-1,5) \). (i) Show that the diagonals of this rhombus are perpendicular (ii) Find the equation of the longest diagonal (iii) Using the information from (ii) above, find the coordinates of the point of intersection of the diagonals Hint: Plot the points on a set of axis To complete (i)-(iii), you need to complete the following steps - Find the gradient of each diagonal and show that they are perpendicular. - Find the length of each of the diagonals - Identify the longest diagonal and find its equation - Give the coordinates of the vertices of the rhombus
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To determine the orthogonal nature of the diagonals of the rhombus, calculate the gradients (slopes) of the diagonals AC and BD. The coordinates of A and C are A(-3, 1) and C(3, 7), giving a gradient of \(m_{AC} = \frac{7 - 1}{3 - (-3)} = \frac{6}{6} = 1\). For B(-1, 5) and D(1, 3), the gradient is \(m_{BD} = \frac{5 - 3}{-1 - 1} = \frac{2}{-2} = -1\). Since \(m_{AC} \cdot m_{BD} = 1 \cdot (-1) = -1\), the diagonals are indeed perpendicular! Next, measuring the lengths of these diagonals reveals which one is the longest. The length of diagonal AC is determined using the distance formula: \(DA = \sqrt{(3 - (-3))^2 + (7 - 1)^2} = \sqrt{6^2 + 6^2} = \sqrt{72} = 6\sqrt{2}\). For diagonal BD, \(DB = \sqrt{(1 - (-1))^2 + (3 - 5)^2} = \sqrt{(2)^2 + (-2)^2} = \sqrt{8} = 2\sqrt{2}\). Thus, the longest diagonal is AC. To deduce the equation of diagonal AC, apply the slope-intercept form \(y - y_1 = m(x - x_1)\) using the slope of 1 from earlier. With point A(-3,1), the equation becomes \(y - 1 = 1(x + 3)\) or \(y = x + 4\). The intersection point of the diagonals occurs at the midpoint of AC and BD. For diagonal AC, the midpoint is \(\left(\frac{-3 + 3}{2}, \frac{1 + 7}{2}\right) = (0, 4)\), while for diagonal BD, it’s \(\left(\frac{-1 + 1}{2}, \frac{5 + 3}{2}\right) = (0, 4)\). Thus, the coordinates of the intersection are (0, 4)! Happy plotting and calculating! Just remember, a rhombus with charming diagonals that bisect at right angles also comes with those delightful equal-length sides. It's a shape that keeps both mathematicians and artists intrigued!