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6 -3 Word Problem Practice

Tests for Parallelograms
1. BALANCING Nikia, Madison, Angela, and Shelby 4. STREET LAMPS When a coordinate plane is placed
are balancing themselves on an “X”-shaped floating over the Harrisville town map, the four street lamps in
object. To balance themselves, they want to make the center are located as shown. Do the four lamps
themselves the vertices of a parallelogram. form the vertices of a parallelogram? Explain.

In order to achieve this, do all four of them have to

be the same distance from the center of the object?
Explain.

5. PICTURE FRAME Aaron is making a wooden

picture frame in the shape of a parallelogram. He has
two pieces of wood that are 3 feet long and two that
2. COMPASSES Two compass needles placed side by are 4 feet long.
side on a table are both 2 inches long and point due
north. Do they form the sides of a parallelogram? a. If he connects the pieces of wood at their ends to
each other, in what order must he connect them to
make a parallelogram?

3. FORMATION Four jets are flying in formation.

Three of the jets are shown in the graph. If the four
jets are located at the vertices of a parallelogram, what
are the three possible locations of the missing jet?

b. How many different parallelograms could he make

with these four lengths of wood?

c. Explain something Aaron might do to specify

precisely the shape of the parallelogram.

Chapter 6 21 Glencoe Geometry

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6-3 Practice
Tests for Parallelograms
Determine whether each quadrilateral is a parallelogram. Justify your answer.
1. 2.

3. 4

COORDINATE GEOMETRY Graph each quadrilateral with the given vertices. Determine whether the figure
is a parallelogram. Justify your answer with the method indicated.

5. P(–5, 1), S(–2, 2), F(–1, –3), T(2, –2); Slope Formula

6. R(–2, 5), O(1, 3), M(–3, –4), Y(–6, –2); Distance and Slope Formulas

ALGEBRA Find x and y so that the quadrilateral is a parallelogram.

7. 8.

9. 10.

11. TILE DESIGN The pattern shown in the figure is to consist of congruent
parallelograms. How can the designer be certain that the shapes are
parallelograms?

Chapter 6 20 Glencoe Geometry

NAME _____________________________________________ DATE ____________________________ PERIOD _____________

6-3 Skills Practice

Tests for Parallelograms
Determine whether each quadrilateral is a parallelogram. Justify your answer.
1. 2.

3. 4.

COORDINATE GEOMETRY Graph each quadrilateral with the given vertices. Determine whether the figure
is a parallelogram. Justify your answer with the method indicated.

5. P(0, 0), Q(3, 4), S(7, 4), Y(4, 0); Slope Formula

6. S(–2, 1), R(1, 3), T(2, 0), Z(–1, –2); Distance and Slope Formulas

7. W(2, 5), R(3, 3), Y(–2, –3), N(–3, 1); Midpoint Formula

ALGEBRA Find x and y so that each quadrilateral is a parallelogram.

8. 9.

10. 11.

Chapter 6 19 Glencoe Geometry

NAME _____________________________________________ DATE ____________________________ PERIOD _____________

6-3 Study Guide and Intervention

Tests for Parallelograms
Conditions for Parallelograms There are many ways to
establish that a quadrilateral is a parallelogram.

If: If:
both pairs of opposite sides are parallel, ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐵 ∥ ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐶 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 ∥ ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 ,
both pairs of opposite sides are congruent, ̅̅̅̅≅ 𝐷𝐶
𝐴𝐵 ̅̅̅̅ and 𝐴𝐷
̅̅̅̅ ≅ 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ ,
both pairs of opposite angles are congruent, ∠ ABC ≅ ∠ ADC and ∠ DAB ≅ ∠ BCD,

the diagonals bisect each other, ̅̅̅̅

𝐴𝐸 ≅ ̅̅̅̅
𝐶𝐸 and ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐸 ≅ ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐸 ,

one pair of opposite sides is congruent and parallel, ̅̅̅̅ ∥ 𝐷𝐶

𝐴𝐵 ̅̅̅̅ and 𝐴𝐵
̅̅̅̅ ≅ 𝐶𝐷
̅̅̅̅, or 𝐴𝐷
̅̅̅̅ ∥ 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ and 𝐴𝐷
̅̅̅̅ ≅ 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ ,
then: the figure is a parallelogram. then: ABCD is a parallelogram.

Example: Find x and y so that FGHJ is a parallelogram.

FGHJ is a parallelogram if the lengths of the opposite
sides are equal.
6x + 3 = 15 4x – 2y = 2
6x = 12 4(2) – 2y = 2
x=2 8 – 2y = 2
–2y = –6
y=3
Exercises
Find x and y so that the quadrilateral is a parallelogram.
1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

Chapter 6 17 Glencoe Geometry

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6-3 Study Guide and Intervention (continued)

Tests for Parallelograms
Parallelograms on the Coordinate Plane On the coordinate plane, the Distance, Slope, and Midpoint Formulas can
be used to test if a quadrilateral is a parallelogram.

Example: Determine whether ABCD is a parallelogram.

The vertices are A(–2, 3), B(3, 2), C(2, –1), and D(–3, 0).
𝑦 −𝑦
Method 1: Use the Slope Formula, m = 𝑥2 − 𝑥1.
2 1
3−0 3 2 − (−1) 3
slope of ̅̅̅̅
𝐴𝐷 = −2 − (−3) = 1 = 3 slope of ̅̅̅̅
𝐵𝐶 = 3 − 2 = 1 = 3
2−3 1 −1 − 0 1
̅̅̅̅ =
slope of 𝐴𝐵 =–5 ̅̅̅̅ =
slope of 𝐶𝐷 =–5
3 − (−2) 2 − (−3)

̅̅̅̅ || 𝐶𝐷
Since opposite sides have the same slope, 𝐴𝐵 ̅̅̅̅ and 𝐴𝐷
̅̅̅̅ || 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ . Therefore, ABCD is a parallelogram by definition.

Method 2: Use the Distance Formula, d = √( 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 )2 + ( 𝑦2 − 𝑦1 )2 .

AB = √(−2 − 3)2 + (3 − 2)2 = √25 + 1 or √26
CD = √(−2 − (−3))2 + (−1 − 0)2 = √25 + 1 or √26
AD = √(−2 − (−3))2 + (3 − 0)2 = √1 + 9 or √10
BC = √(3 − 2)2 + (2 − (−1))2 = √1 + 9 or √10
̅̅̅̅ ≅ 𝐶𝐷
Since both pairs of opposite sides have the same length, 𝐴𝐵 ̅̅̅̅ and 𝐴𝐷
̅̅̅̅ ≅ 𝐵𝐶
̅̅̅̅ . Therefore, ABCD is a parallelogram by
Theorem 6.9.

Exercises
Graph each quadrilateral with the given vertices. Determine whether the figure is a parallelogram.
Justify your answer with the method indicated.

1. A(0, 0), B(1, 3), C(5, 3), D(4, 0); 2. D(–1, 1), E(2, 4), F(6, 4), G(3, 1);
Slope Formula Slope Formula

3. R(–1, 0), S(3, 0), T(2, -3), U(–3, –2); 4. A(–3, 2), B(-1, 4), C(2, 1), D(0, –1);
Distance Formula Distance and Slope Formulas

5. S(–2, 4), T(–1, –1), U(3, –4), V(2, 1); 6. F(3, 3), G(1, 2), H(–3, 1), I(–1, 4);
Distance and Slope Formulas Midpoint Formula

7. A parallelogram has vertices R(–2, –1), S(2, 1), and T(0, –3). Find all possible coordinates for the fourth vertex.

Chapter 6 18 Glencoe Geometry