Triangles and Quadrilaterals

Learning about geometric shapes is quite useful in case we are going to pave our future in fields such as
engineering and architecture. What exactly is a polygon? Can a square be a polygon? You can call a polygon as
the largest named group holding several geometric shapes. In this lesson, we would try to understand the
importance and types of triangle and quadrilaterals which are an important part of this group.
Introduction

A triangle is a simple closed curve or polygon which is created by three line-segments. In Euclidean geometry,
any three points, specifically non-collinear, form a unique triangle and separately, a unique plane (known as
two-dimensional Euclidean space).

On the other hand, in terms of Euclidean plane geometry, a polygon having four edges (or sides) together with
four vertices is called a quadrilateral. At times, the term quadrangle can be used and sometimes tetragon for
uniformity with pentagon (5-sided) or hexagon (6-sided).
Types of Triangle
Primarily there are three types of triangle, namely:

 Acute Triangle: This is a triangle in which all the angles are acute.

 Right Angled Triangle: It is a form of a triangle wherein one particular angle is a right angle.

 Obtuse Triangle: Triangle in which one of the angles stays obtuse is called as an obtuse triangle.
 Equiangular Triangle: Triangle with all angles have equal measure.

Further, triangles can be segregated depending on the number of congruent sides. Therefore, you can count on
two different ways to classify the types of triangle:

 Scalene, meaning that every side length in a triangle tends to be different.

 Equilateral means that every side length in a triangle is similar.

 Isosceles triangle means, at least two of the triangle side lengths are similar.

Quadrilateral Types & Properties

We can define quadrilateral as a Polygon that has four sides. There are more
properties associated to a quadrilateral as compared to a triangle. In a
quadrilateral, one amazing aspect is that it can have parallel opposite sides.

Hence, if every side holds a parallel opposite side, this shape is termed as a
parallelogram. It is important to note that, rectangles, rhombuses (rhombi)
and squares are all parallelograms since their opposite sides are parallel
(always). Furthermore, a rhombus holds four sides of equal length.
Quadrilaterals that have a single pair of parallel sides are called trapezoids.
According to some math books, a trapezoid holds at least one pair of parallel
sides. It means that this would form a parallelogram if there are two sets of
parallel sides, making it a special kind of a trapezoid. Moreover, as per other
math books, trapezoids possess only a single pair of parallel sides; this is strictly
followed in high school level mathematics.

Geometric Properties of Quadrilaterals

a) Square

 Opposite sides are parallel, with all sides being equal

 Each of the angles is 90°
 A square has four lines of symmetry
 The order of rotational symmetry is 4
 The diagonals bisect each other at 90° or right angles
b) Rectangle

 The opposite sides are parallel and equal

 All the angles in a rectangle are 90°
 Lines of symmetry are two
 Rectangle has a rotational symmetry of 2
c) Parallelogram

 The opposite sides are parallel and equal

 Parallelogram has equal opposite angles
 There are no symmetry lines
 Rotational symmetry order is 2
d) Kite

 A kite has a single line of symmetry

 The diagonals intersect at 90° or right angles
In geometry, a quadrilateral is a two-dimensional closed shape or polygon that has four
straight sides, four corners or vertices, and four interior angles. The sum of the interior
angles is 360 degrees. The word “quadrilateral” comes from the Latin words quadri,
meaning “four”, and latus, meaning “side.” A less common name for the shape is
a tetragon, which comes from the Greek words tetra, meaning “four”, and gon,
meaning “corner or angle.”
Quadrilaterals are important not only in geometry, but for understanding complex
geometric shapes and for their wide practical applications.

Quadrilateral Shapes
There are several common types of quadrilaterals. The terminology is mostly the same
in both American and British English, except for a trapezoid (American) which is often
referred to as a trapezium in British English.

1. Square: A square is a quadrilateral with all sides of equal length and all
internal angles of 90 degrees.
2. Rectangle: A rectangle is a quadrilateral with opposite sides of equal length
and all internal angles of 90 degrees.
3. Rhombus (Rhomb or Diamond): A rhombus is a quadrilateral with all sides of
equal length, opposite angles of equal measure, but not necessarily angles of
90 degrees.
4. Parallelogram: A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with opposite sides of equal
length and opposite angles of equal measure. Adjacent angles are
supplementary (they add up to 180 degrees).
 5. Trapezoid (American) / Trapezium (British): A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with
at least one pair of parallel sides. In American usage, it refers to a quadrilateral
with exactly one pair of parallel sides, while the British usage typically includes
shapes with at least one pair of parallel sides.
6. Trapezium (American) / Irregular Quadrilateral (British): In American usage, a
trapezium refers to a quadrilateral with no parallel sides. The British often
refer to this as an irregular quadrilateral.
7. Kite: A kite is a quadrilateral with two pairs of adjacent sides of equal length.
This implies that a kite has a pair of equal angles.

Remember, all these figures are quadrilaterals, meaning they all have four sides and the
sum of their internal angles equals 360 degrees. The specific names (like square,
rectangle, etc.) just give more information about the properties of the sides and angles
of the quadrilateral.

Facts About Quadrilateral Shapes

Some of the quadrilateral shapes are types of other shapes. For example:

 A square is also a rectangle and a rhombus.

 However, a rectangle and rhombus are not square.
 A square, rectangle, and rhombus are all types of parallelograms.
 A parallelogram is a trapezoid (American) or trapezium (British). However, a
parallelogram is not an American trapezium.
 Similarly, a British irregular quadrilateral is not a parallelogram.
 A kite is not necessarily a parallelogram. However, a rhombus is a type of kite
and is also a parallelogram.
 Both a square and a rhombus are types of quadrilaterals that have four
congruent sides.

Perimeter and Area Formulas

Each quadrilateral shape has its own perimeter and area formula:

1. Square:
o Perimeter = 4a (where a = length of a side)
o Area = a² (where a = length of a side)
2. Rectangle:
o Perimeter = 2(l + w) (where l = length and w = width)
o Area = l * w (where l = length and w = width)
3. Rhombus (Rhomb or Diamond):
o Perimeter = 4a (where a = length of a side)
o Area = d₁d₂ / 2 (where d₁ and d₂ are the lengths of the diagonals)
4. Parallelogram:
o Perimeter = 2(l + w) (where l = length and w = width)
o Area = b * h (where b = base and h = height)
5. Trapezoid (American) / Trapezium (British):
 o Perimeter = a + b + c + d (where a, b, c, and d are the lengths of the
sides)
o Area = (a + b) / 2 * h (where a and b are the lengths of the parallel
sides and h is the height)
6. Trapezium (American) / Irregular Quadrilateral (British):
o Perimeter = a + b + c + d (where a, b, c, and d are the lengths of the
sides)
o Area: Depending on the information available, there are different
methods for calculating area. One common method for irregular
quadrilaterals is dividing them into triangles and adding the areas of
those triangles.
7. Kite:
o Perimeter = 2(a + b) (where a and b are the lengths of the different
sides)
o Area = d₁d₂ / 2 (where d₁ and d₂ are the lengths of the diagonals)

Convex and Concave Quadrilaterals

The distinction between convex and concave quadrilaterals lies in their interior angles
and the relative positioning of their vertices.

1. Convex Quadrilaterals: These are quadrilaterals in which all the interior angles
are less than 180°. Another key characteristic is that for any two points within
the shape, the line segment that connects them is also be entirely within the
shape. All the types of quadrilaterals we discussed earlier (square, rectangle,
 rhombus, parallelogram, trapezoid/trapezium, kite) are examples of convex
quadrilaterals.
2. Concave Quadrilaterals: These are quadrilaterals in which at least one interior
angle is more than 180°. This forms a ‘dent’ or ‘cave’ in the shape (which is
why it’s called ‘concave’). For some pairs of points within the shape, the line
segment that connects them is not entirely within the shape. Concave
quadrilaterals are also known as re-entrant quadrilaterals.

It’s important to note that the sum of interior angles in both convex and concave
quadrilaterals is always 360° since they both have four sides. The distinction lies in the
measure of individual angles and how their vertices are arranged.