document.write( "<A HREF=/cgi-bin/jump-to-question.mpl?question=1203418>Question 1203418</A>: <I><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> solve by addition of line segments show whether the points a(-3,0), b(-1,-1) and c(5,-4) lie on a straight line.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "</I><HR><TABLE width=100%><TR><TD><B><A HREF=http://www.algebra.com/>Algebra.Com's</A> Answer #838963 by </B><A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=ikleyn><B>ikleyn(52803)</B></A><img src=\"/images/stars/stars-13.gif\" alt=\"\" >&nbsp;<A HREF=/tutors/aboutme.mpl?userid=ikleyn><IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/images/aboutme-small.gif BORDER=0 alt=\"About Me\" VALIGN=MIDDLE></A>&nbsp;<IMG SRC=http://www.algebra.com/cgi-bin/show-face.mpl?user=ikleyn><BR>You can <A HREF=\"/cgi-bin/embed-solution.mpl?show=1&solution=838963\">put this solution on YOUR website!</A><BR><SPAN STYLE=\"word-break: break-all;\"> .\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Comparing with using slopes, using distances for this problem is very ineffective method,\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- - - since it requires MUCH MORE computations - - - .\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Therefore, using the slopes method is traditionally considered as a standard method <BR>\n" );
document.write( "solving such problems, while this instruction to use the distances (so called \"addition of line segments\") <BR>\n" );
document.write( "is puzzling.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "It teaches to enter a house through a window instead of doing it through a door.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin, I got your message as a comment.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "I always read the input attentively - - - you may learn it observing my posts at the forum for more than 12 years.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "What I write, does not have a goal to surprise you or refute your solutions.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "What I write, has the only goal to teach the visitors in a way as it should be done <BR>\n" );
document.write( "(to that extent as I can do it).\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "And I am proud that in this year &nbsp;2023, &nbsp;from &nbsp;Jan.1 &nbsp;till the end of &nbsp;August,<BR>\n" );
document.write( "there are just about &nbsp;235000 &nbsp;clicks to all my about &nbsp;1150 &nbsp;lessons <BR>\n" );
document.write( "at this site, &nbsp;or about &nbsp;~1000 &nbsp;clicks per day.<BR>\n" );
document.write( "It means that &nbsp;THOUSANDS &nbsp;real people in the world learn from my lessons.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "In this calculations, I did not count those visitors who learn from my everyday posts . . . <BR>\n" );
document.write( "This number can be roughly estimated as (10 posts per day) x (240 days in the year 2023 from Jan till Aug) = 2400, <BR>\n" );
document.write( "which should be taken with a multiplicity coefficient, because many posts/solutions are read by several people.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "...............................\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin, is it really true that in schools, colleges and/or universities <BR>\n" );
document.write( "they teach to solve such problems by this method?\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "It is really unexpected thing to me.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Never could even imagine it . . . \r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "If they do teach it, then it can be done under one mandatory condition - they always should say explicitly<BR>\n" );
document.write( "that this method for these problems is computationally ineffective - exactly what I said in my post.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "Otherwise, their teaching is one-sided, crooked and incomplete.\r<BR>\n" );
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document.write( "It is the real and exact/precise meaning of my post.\r<BR>\n" );
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