CHARACTERISTICS OF QUADRILATERALS
Square
A square has 4 sides of equal length and 4 right angles (right angle = 90 degrees).
Since ALL the angles in a quadrilateral add up to 360º then 360º divided by 4 must be 90º.
Rhombus
A Rhombus has 4 sides of equal length and opposite sides are parallel and angles are equal.
(It looks like a square that is being pushed over). The arrows show parallel sides.
Rectangle
The rectangle (oblong) contains 4 right angles (an angle of 90˚).
It has got 2 pairs of equal sides and 4 right angles
Parallelogram
A parallelogram is a rectangle that has been pushed over.
Opposite sides are the same length
and they are parallel.
Trapezium
Both of these are types of trapezium. Sometimes they might have 2 right angles.
Each contains 4 sides and one pair of parallel sides.
Kite
A kite has two pairs of EQUAL sides next to each other.
None of the sides are parallel.
Here are more things to remember
- All quadrilaterals have 4 sides
- A square has got 4 sides of equal length and 4 right angles (right angle = 90 degrees).
- A Rhombus has got 4 sides of equal length and opposite sides are parallel and angles are equal.
- The rectangle (oblong) contains 4 right angles (an angle of 90˚). It has got 2 pairs of equal length sides
- A parallelogram is a rectangle that has been pushed over. Opposite sides are the same length and they are parrallel.
- A trapezium as got one pair of parallel sides.
- A kite as got two pairs of sides next to each other that have equal length.
The QUADRILATERALS' "Family Tree"
Quadrilateral definitions are inclusive.
Example: a square is also a rectangle.
So we include a square in the definition of a rectangle, BECAUSE ALL SQUARES HAVE 4 RIGHT ANGLES AS HAS ANY RECTANGLE.
This may seem odd because in daily life we think of a square as not being a rectangle ... but in mathematics it is.
Using the chart below you can answer such questions as:
- Is a Square a type of Rectangle? (Yes)
- Is a Rectangle a type of Kite? (No) TRY IT OUT!!!
