Question

when constructing a perpendicular bisector, why must the compass opening be greater than 1/2 the length of the segment? explain in one to three sentences.
Answered by GPT 3.5
The compass opening must be greater than 1/2 the length of the segment because it ensures that you can construct arcs on either side of the segment that will intersect. If the compass opening were smaller, the arcs would not intersect and thus a perpendicular bisector could not be accurately constructed.