Short Answer
The answer outlines a three-step process to determine coordinates of points A, B, C, and D and calculate the slopes of lines AD and BC. It uses the midpoint formula for coordinates and confirms that the slopes of both lines are equal at (a – c) / b.
Step 1: Determine Coordinates of Points A and C
Using the midpoint formula, we can find the coordinates of points A and C. For point A, we take the midpoint of the line segment joining points R (0, 0) and S (2a, 2b), leading to coordinates (a, b). Similarly, for point C, which is the midpoint between points T (2c, 2d) and V (2c, 0), we get the coordinates (2c, d).
Step 2: Identify Coordinates of Points B and D
Next, we determine the coordinates of points B and D. The coordinates for point B are derived as (a+c, b+d), while point D has fixed coordinates (c, 0). This establishes the necessary points to proceed with slope calculations.
Step 3: Calculate the Slopes of Lines AD and BC
To find the slopes, we apply the slope formula, which is defined as slope = (y2 – y1) / (x2 – x1). For line AD, the slope is expressed as (c – a) / (0 – b), simplifying to (a – c) / b. Likewise, the computed slope of line BC results in the same expression, confirming that the slopes of lines AD and BC are indeed equal at (a – c) / b.