Determination of the geometry factor is necessary for brachytherapy dosimetry calculations as recommended by the AAPM Task Group No. 43 (TG-43). The equivalence and errors associated with use of a point source approximation for an extended line segment source are examined. For all angles, the error using the point source approximation is less than 2% for distances in which the ratio of radius to active source length, (r/L), exceed about 3.6. A novel approach to determining the geometry factor using Monte Carlo methods is discussed in which the particle flux emanates from the active source and streams with no interactions occurring within the source or phantom. This method was performed for determining the geometry factor along the transverse axis for six brachytherapy sources. Differences in the geometry factor exceeding 2% between the point source approximation and that obtained using Monte Carlo methods occurred at distances ranging from 0.5 to 5 mm from the source center along the transverse plane. The merits of the Monte Carlo approach for solving the geometry factor are discussed in light of using a point or line source approximation for calculating additional brachytherapy dosimetry parameters.