The midpoint is the middle of a certain line on a coordinate plane. A coordinate point is an infinite surface (plane) with grid lines to easily measure where the line is and how big it is. The coordinate grid lines meet in points that we write as (x,y) format, x being how far across from zero and y being how far up. Each endpoint of a line is written in (x,y) format, which is what will be used to find the midpoint.

One way to find the midpoint is from given endpoints of a line. The first step is to average (add, then divide by the number of terms added) the x terms (the x term is the first number in a pairing, such as 4 in (4,13)). Then you can average the y terms, the second numbers, to create a new pairing. This (x,y) format coordinate point should be the middle of the line. To plot this point (find its place on the graph), move to the side of zero as many places as the first number, then go up or downward (depending on if the number is negative or positive. Negative numbers go down, whereas positive numbers go up) the amount of the second number.

Another important strategy to know for midpoints is how to find an endpoint when given one endpoint and the midpoint. To do that, double the endpoint: multiply the x term by two, then the y to come up with a new set of coordinates. After that, subtract the midpoint by finding the difference of the x and y terms of each set of coordinates. The point found by subtraction is the other endpoint of the line.

It can sometimes be important to know how to find the midpoint of a line. Not only some jobs (such as construction work and carpentry) need to be able to complete this procedure, but it also is important when moving furniture or other do-it-yourself home work. The formula for finding the midpoint of a line is really simple to learn and handy in real life situations.