midpoint of a line segment

The midpoint formula is $(\frac{x_1+x_2}{2}, \frac{y_1+y_2}{2})$. Plugging in the given endpoints $(1, -6)$ and $(-3, 4)$, we get $(\frac{1+(-3)}{2}, \frac{-6+4}{2}) = (\frac{-2}{2}, \frac{-2}{2}) = (-1, -1)$.