Geometry

Geometry is all about shapes and their properties.

If you like playing with objects, or like drawing, then geometry is for you!

Geometry can be divided into:

plane Plane Geometry is about flat shapes like lines, circles and
triangles ... shapes that can be drawn on a piece of paper

Solid Geometry is about three dimensional objects

like cubes, prisms, cylinders and spheres.

Hint: Try drawing some of the shapes and angles as you learn ... it helps.

Point, Line, Plane and Solid

A Point has no dimensions , only position
A Line is one-dimensional
A Plane is two dimensional (2D)
A Solid is three-dimensional (3D)
0 1 2 3
Dimensions

Why?
Why do we do Geometry? To discover patterns, find areas, volumes, lengths and
angles, and better understand the world around us.
Plane Geometry
Plane Geometry is all about shapes on a flat surface (like on an endless piece of
paper).

2D Shapes

Activity: Sorting Shapes

Triangles

Right Angled Triangles

Interactive Triangles

Quadrilaterals (Rhombus, Parallelogram, etc)

Rectangle, Rhombus, Square, Parallelogram, Trapezoid and Kite

Interactive Quadrilaterals a a

Parallelogram In Any Quadrilateral

Paper Sizes

Shapes Freeplay

Perimeter

Area

Area of Plane Shapes

Area Calculation Tool

Area of Polygon by Drawing

Activity: Garden Area

General Drawing Tool

Square Calculator and Rectangle Calculator

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Polygons

A Polygon is a 2-dimensional shape made of straight lines. Triangles and Rectangles

are polygons.

Here are some more:

Pentagon Pentagram Hexagon

Properties of Regular Polygons

Diagonals of Polygons

Interactive Polygons

The Circle =π
Circle
... 1
2 65
Pi
9
Circle Area by Lines
5

Circle Sector and Segment 3 141

.
Circle Area by Sectors

Activity: Dropping a Coin onto a Grid

Arc

Annulus

Circle Theorems (Advanced Topic)

Symbols

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There are many special symbols used in Geometry. Here is a short reference for you:

Geometric Symbols

Congruent and Similar

Congruent Shapes

Similar Shapes

Angles

Types of Angles

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

Acute Angles Right Angles Obtuse Angles Straight Angle Reflex Angles Full Rotation

Degrees (Angle)

Radians
Angles Around a Point

Angles on a Straight Line

Congruent Angles

Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles

Interior Angles
Transversal
Exterior Angles
Adjacent Angles

A Triangle Has 180°

Interior Angles of Polygons

Exterior Angles of Polygons

Supplementary Angles

Complementary Angles

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Using Drafting Tools
Geometric Constructions
80
70 00 90 18000 110 12
60 110 1 70
60
0
13
0
Using the Protractor 50 0 12 50 0
13

14 0
50 40
0

0 1 30
4
14
180 170 1 0 30

50 20 1
Using the Drafting Triangle and Ruler

60 1

160 0
2

170
0 10
Using a Ruler and Compass

180
0
© MathsIsFun.com

Transformations and Symmetry

Transformations :

Rotation

Reflection

Translation

Resizing

Symmetry :

Reflection Symmetry

Rotational Symmetry

Point Symmetry

Lines of Symmetry of Plane Shapes

Symmetry Artist

Activity: Symmetry of Shapes

Activity: Make a Mandala

Activity: Coloring (The Four Color Theorem)

Tessellations

Tessellation Artist

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Coordinates
Cartesian Coordinates

Interactive Cartesian Coordinates

Hit the Coordinate Game

More Advanced Topics in Plane Geometry

Pythagoras
Pythagoras' Theorem
c
Pythagorean Triples a

b
Conic Sections
Set of all points

Conic Sections

Eccentricity

Ellipse

Parabola and Projectile Animation

Hyperbola

Circle Theorems
Circle Theorems

Tangent and Secant Lines

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 Intersecting Secants Theorem
ent
Intersecting Chords Theorem ng nt
Ta ca
Se rd
Cho
Angle of Intersecting Secants Theorem
ter
Diame
Ra
Triangle Centers diu
s
Ar
c

Trigonometry
Trigonometry is a special subject of its own, so you
se
might like to visit:
t e nu
ypo
Introduction to Trigonometry H Opposite
Trigonometry Index
θ

Adjacent

Solid Geometry
Solid Geometry is the geometry of three-dimensional space - the kind of space we
live in ...

... let us start with some of the simplest shapes:

Common 3D Shapes

Polyhedra and Non-Polyhedra

There are two main types of solids, "Polyhedra", and "Non-Polyhedra":

Polyhedra (they must have flat faces):

Cubes and
Cuboids (Volume
of a Cuboid)

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 Platonic Solids

Prisms

Pyramids

Non-Polyhedra (when any surface is not flat):

Sphere Torus

Cylinder Cone

Polyhedron Models

Volume and Area of a Sphere Calculator

Spheroid

Cross Sections

Vertices, Faces, and Edges

Cone vs Sphere vs Cylinder

Pyramid vs Cone

Prism vs Cylinder

Pyramid vs Cube

Volume of Horizontal Cylinder

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 Euler's Theorem

Pythagoras in 3D

Hypercubes

Builder's Math

Moments of Area

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Dimensions
In Geometry we can have different dimensions.

The number of dimensions is how many values are needed to locate points on a
shape.

Point, Line, Plane and Solid

A Point has no dimensions, only position
A Line is one-dimensional
0 1 2 3
A Plane is two dimensional (2D) Dimensions
A Solid is three-dimensional (3D)

Point Let us start with a point. A point has no dimensions.

A point really has no size at all! But we show them as dots so we

can see where they are.

Now let's allow the point to move in one direction. We get a line.

We need just one value to find a point on that line. So we have one
dimension. A line is one-dimensional.

Now lets allow the point to move in a different direction. And we get
a plane. We need two values to find a point on that plane. So we
have two dimensions, or "2D".

Circles, triangles, squares and more are plane shapes .

Now we let that point move in another completely different direction

and we have three dimensions.

Spheres, cubes, cylinders and more are 3-dimensional or "3D". We

also call them solid shapes .

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 The world we live in is 3D.

In mathematics we can have more dimensions (such as this 4D

Tessaract), but they are hard to draw!

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Hypercubes
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2021 MathsIsFun.com

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 Line

In geometry a line:

is straight (no bends),

line
has no thickness, and
extends in both directions without end
(infinitely).

A line has no ends !

Play With It
Change the position of points A and B. Note that the line AB extends forever in both
directions:

Line Segment

line
seg
me
nt
end
points
When it does have ends it is called a "Line Segment".

Ray

Ray

When it has just one end it is called a "Ray"

This is Cool
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Now play with this one ... point "C" is made to always be an equal distance from
point "A" and "B". The result is a line (all the possible position of point "C" make a
line):

Point, Line, Plane and Solid

A Point has no dimensions, only position
A Line is one-dimensional
0 1 2 3
A Plane is two dimensional (2D)
A Solid is three-dimensional (3D)
Dimensions

Geometry Index
Symbols In Geometry

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Angles
An angle measures the amount of turn

Names of Angles
As the Angle Increases, the Name Changes:

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

Type of Angle Description

Acute Angle is less than 90°

Right Angle is 90° exactly

is greater than 90° but

Obtuse Angle
less than 180°

Straight Angle is 180° exactly

Reflex Angle is greater than 180°

Full Rotation is 360° exactly

Try It Yourself:

right
90°

In One Diagram obtuse acute

180° 0°
This diagram might make it easier to remember:
reex
Also: Acute, Obtuse and Reflex are in alphabetical order.

cute
Also: the letter "A" has an acute angle.

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Be Careful What You Measure
Reflex

248°
112°

Obtuse

The smaller angle is an Obtuse Angle,

but the larger angle is a Reflex Angle

So when naming the angles make sure that you know which angle is being asked
for!

Positive and Negative Angles

When measuring from a line:

a positive angle goes counterclockwise (opposite direction that clocks go)

a negative angle goes clockwise

positive
angle
negative
angle

Example: −67°

−67°

Parts of an Angle
The corner point of an angle is called the vertex

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 And the two straight sides are called arms
arm

an The angle is the amount of turn between each arm.

g
le
arm

vertex
How to Label Angles
There are two main ways to label angles: A

1. give the angle a name, usually a lower-case letter like a or b, or

sometimes a Greek letter like α (alpha) or θ (theta)
a
B
2. or by the three letters on the shape that define the angle, with the C
middle letter being where the angle actually is (its vertex). θ

Example angle "a" is "BAC", and angle "θ" is "BCD"

D

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Degrees (Angle)
Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles
Supplementary Angles
Complementary Angles
Interior Angles
Exterior Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2024 Rod Pierce

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 Acute Angles
Different Angles have different names:

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

An Acute Angle is less than 90°

< 90°

This is an acute angle

All the angles below are acute angles:

71°
62° 48°

67°
54°

12°

cute
Also: the letter "A" has an acute angle.

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Which Angle?
Remember to look carefully at which angle you are being asked to name:

The acute angle is the small angle which is less than 90°.

If you choose the larger angle you will have a Reflex Angle instead:

312°

48°
Acute
Reflex
The smaller angle is an Acute Angle, but
the larger angle is a Reflex Angle

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Right Angles
Obtuse Angles
Straight Angle
Reflex Angles
Angles On a Straight Line
Angles Around a Point
Degrees (Angle)
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2024 Rod Pierce

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 Full Rotation
A full rotation is 360 degrees

360°

This is a "full rotation"

or "revolution"
or "complete turn"
or "full circle"

It means turning around until you point in the same direction again.

Try it here:

Note: RPM means "Revolutions Per Minute"

(how many full rotations every minute)

Other ways of saying it:

"Doing a 360" means spinning around completely once (spinning around twice is a "720").
"I gave the wheel one complete turn looking for holes"
"It completed one cycle", meaning it went around exactly once.
"It was spinning at 200 revolutions per minute" (but people usually say "RPM" instead of
"revolutions per minute").
"She went full circle on liking carrots". So maybe she originally liked carrots, then hated
them, now she likes them again.

This image of a protractor shows that a full rotation is 360°

And Half a rotation is 180°, called a Straight Angle

And Quarter of a rotation is 90°, called a Right Angle

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And a full rotation is also equal to 2π Radians , so here are some equivalent values:

Rotations Radians Degrees

¼ π/2 90°

½ π 180°

1 2π 360°

1½ 3π 540°

2 4π 720°

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Acute Angles
Right Angles
Obtuse Angles
Reflex Angles
Angles On a Straight Line
Degrees (Angle)
Supplementary Angles
Complementary Angles

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 Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Obtuse Angles
Different Angles have different names:

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

An Obtuse Angle is more than 90° but less than 180°

> 90°
< 180°

All the angles below are obtuse angles:

116°

112°

168°

94°

105°

Which Angle?
Remember to look carefully at which angle you are being asked to name.

The obtuse angle is the smaller angle.

It is more than 90° and less than 180°.

If you choose the larger angle you have a Reflex Angle

(more than 180° but less than 360°) instead:

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 Reflex

248°
112°

Obtuse

The smaller angle is an Obtuse Angle,

but the larger angle is a Reflex Angle

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Acute Angles
Right Angles
Straight Angle
Reflex Angles
Degrees (Angle)
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Right Angles
A right angle is an internal angle which is equal to 90°

90°

This is a right angle

See that special symbol like a box in the corner? That says it is a right angle. The
90° is rarely written in. If we see the box in the corner, we are being told it is a right
angle.

All the angles below are right angles:

A right angle can be in any orientation or rotation as long as the internal angle is 90°

Never argue with a 90° angle, it is always right!

Types of Angles

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

Read more about Angles

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See the angle types yourself:

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Interior Angles
Types of Angles
Acute Angles
Obtuse Angles
Straight Angle
Reflex Angles
Degrees (Angle)
Symbols in Geometry
Geometry Index

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 Straight Angle
A straight angle is 180 degrees

180°

This is a straight angle

A straight angle changes the direction to point the opposite way.

Sometimes people say "You did a complete 180 on that!" ... meaning you completely
changed your mind, idea or direction.

All the angles below are straight angles:

180°

180°
180°

180°

Types of Angles

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

Read more about Angles

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 Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Acute Angles
Right Angles
Obtuse Angles
Reflex Angles
Angles On a Straight Line
Degrees (Angle)
Supplementary Angles
Complementary Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Reflex Angles
Different Angles have different names:

acute right obtuse straight reflex full

rotation

A Reflex Angle is more than 180° but less than 360°

>180°
< 360°

This is a reflex angle

All the angles below are reflex angles:

248°

244°

192°
255°

266°

Which Angle?
Remember to look carefully at which angle you are being asked to name.

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 The reflex angle is the larger angle.
It is more than 180° but less than 360°

If you choose the smaller angle you might have an Acute Angle , or an
Obtuse Angle instead:

Reflex
312°
248°
48° 112°
Acute
Reflex Obtuse
The larger angle is a Reflex Angle, The larger angle is a Reflex Angle,
but the smaller angle is an Acute Angle but the smaller angle is an Obtuse Angle

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Acute Angles
Right Angles
Obtuse Angles
Straight Angle
Angles Around a Point
Degrees (Angle)
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2024 Rod Pierce

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 Angles On One Side of A Straight Line
Angles on one side of a straight line always add to 180 degrees

150°
180°

30°

Example: 30° + 150° = 180°

When a line is split into 2 and we know one angle, we can always find the other one.

Example: We know one angle is 45°, what is the other angle "a" ?

45°

Angle a is 180° − 45° = 135°

This method can be used for several angles on one side of a straight line.

Example: What is angle "b" ?

Angle b is 180° minus the sum of the other

angles.

Sum of known angles = 45° + 39° + 24°

39°
b Sum of known angles = 108°

45° Angle b = 180° − 108°

24°
Angle b = 72°

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 Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Straight Angle
Supplementary Angles
Angles Around a Point
Types of Angles
Degrees (Angle)
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Angles Around a Point
Angles around a point will always add up to 360 degrees

53°
80°
87°

140°
Example: the angles above all add to 360°

53° + 80° + 140° + 87° = 360°

Because of this we can sometimes find an unknown angle.

Example: What is angle "c"?

c
110°
To find angle c we take the sum of the known angles
and subtract that from 360°
63°

50°
75°

Sum of known angles = 110° + 75° + 50° + 63°

= 298°

Angle c = 360° − 298°

= 62°

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

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 Angles on a Straight Line
Degrees (Angle)
Types of Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Degrees (Angles)

We can measure Angles in Degrees.

There are 360 degrees in one Full Rotation (one complete circle
around).

Angles can also be measured in Radians .

(Note: "Degree" is also used for Temperature , but here we talk about Angles )

The Degree Symbol °

We use a little circle ° following the number to mean degrees.

For example 90° means 90 degrees

One Degree
1°
This is how large 1 Degree is

The Full Circle

A Full Circle is 360°

Half a circle is 180°

(called a Straight Angle )

Quarter of a circle is 90°

(called a Right Angle )

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 100 90 80
70
110 60
0
12 50
0
13

40
0
14

30
0
15

20
160
180 170

10
360
350 30
190
200

40
33
0
21

0
32
0
22

0
0 31
23 0
0 30
24 0
50 290
260 2 270 280

Why 360 degrees? Maybe because old calendars (such as the Persian
Calendar) used 360 days for a year - when they watched the stars they
saw them revolve around the North Star one degree per day.

Also 360 can be divided exactly by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20,
24, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 90, 120 and 180, which makes a lot of basic
geometry easier.

Measuring Degrees
We often measure degrees using a protractor:

80
70 00 90 18000 110 12
60 110 1 70 0
60 13
0
50 0 12 50 0
13
14 0
50 40
0

0 1 30
4
14
180 170 1 0 30

50 20 1
60 1

160 0
2

170
0 10

180
0

© MathsIsFun.com

The normal protractor measures 0° to 180°

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 There are also full-circle protractors.

But they are not commonly used because they are a bit big and don't do
anything special.

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Types of Angles
Radians
Plane
Symbols in Geometry
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2023 Rod Pierce

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 Constructions
Geometric Constructions ... Animated!

"Construction" in Geometry means to draw shapes, angles or lines

accurately.

These constructions use only compass, straightedge (a ruler, but not using
the numbers) and a pencil.

This is the "pure" form of geometric construction: no numbers

m
co
involved! isfu
n.
hs
at
m

Basics
Learn these two first, they are used a lot:

Line Segment Bisector and Right Angle

Angle Bisector

Points and Lines

Copy a Line Segment

A
Add Line Segments
A+B

Subtract Line Segments

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 A

A-B

Perpendicular to a Point on a Line

Perpendicular to a Point NOT on a Line

Perpendicular to Start of a Ray

Parallel Line through a Point (by Angles)

Parallel Line through a Point (by Rhombus)

Parallel Line through a Point (by Triangles)

Cut a line into n equal segments

Angles
And it is useful to know how to do 30°, 45° and 60° angles. We can use the angle
bisector method (above) to create other angles such as 15°, etc.

Same (Congruent) Angle

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 30° Degree Angle

45° Degree Angle

60° Degree Angle

90° Degree Angle

Add Angles

Subtract Angles

Triangle Basics

Copy a triangle

Equilateral Triangle

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 Triangle Altitudes

Triangle Midsegment

Triangle Centers

Inscribe a Circle in a Triangle

Circumscribe a Circle on a Triangle

Circle Basics

Circle Center and Diameter

Circle Center by Two Chords

Circle Center by Right Angles

Circle Touching 3 Points

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Circles and Tangents

Tangents to Point Outside Circle

Tangent to Point on Circle

Polygons
And for the "Master Class":

Square from One Side

Square Inscribed in a Circle

Pentagon

Hexagon from One Side

(Note: You can also see how to Use the Drafting Triangle and Ruler ,
Use the Protractor , and How to construct a Triangle With 3 Known Sides , but they
are not "pure" geometric constructions.)

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 Geometry Index
Plane Geometry Index

Copyright © 2023 Rod Pierce

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 Using a Protractor
This is a protractor, it helps you measure angles (in degrees ):

80
70 00 90 18000 110 12
60 110 1 70 0
60 13
0
50 0 12 50 0
13

14 0
50 40
0

0 1 30
4
14
180 170 1 0 30

50 20 1
60 1

160 0
2

170
0 10

180
0
© MathsIsFun.com

Protractors are fun and easy to use

Have a look at this animation (press the play button) to see how to make a neat
angle using a protractor and ruler:

Measuring

Protractors usually have two sets of numbers going

in opposite directions.

Be careful which one you use!

When in doubt think "should this angle be bigger or

smaller than 90° ?"

Have a Go Yourself!
Try to measure the angles A, B and C inside the triangle. Drag the protractor and
rotate it using arrow keys.

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Be careful which angle you read from the protractor. Hint: if you get them all correct,
they will add up to 180° .

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Using a Ruler and Drafting Triangle

Using a Ruler and Compass
Geometric Constructions
Degrees (Angle)
Interior Angles of Polygons
Angles On a Straight Line
Supplementary Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2023 Rod Pierce

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 Complementary Angles
Two angles are Complementary when they

add up to 90 degrees (a Right Angle )

40°
These two angles (40° and 50°) are Complementary Angles, because they
add up to 90°:
50°

Notice that together they make a right angle

But the angles don't have to be together.

27°
These two are complementary because 27° + 63°
63°
= 90°

Play With It ...

(Drag the points)

Right Angled Triangle

In a right angled triangle, the two non-right 68°

angles are complementary, because in a
22°
triangle the three angles add to 180° , and 90°
has already been taken by the right angle.

When two angles add to 90°, we say they "Complement" each other.

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 Complementary comes from Latin completum meaning "completed" ...
because the right angle is thought of as being a complete angle.

Spelling: be careful, it is not "Complimentary Angle" (with an "i") ...

that would be an angle you get for free!

Complementary vs Supplementary
A related idea is Supplementary Angles - those add up to 180°

How to remember which is which? Well, alphabetically they are:

Complementary add to 90°

Supplementary add to 180°

You can also think:

"C" of Complementary is for "Corner" (a Right Angle), and

"S" of Supplementary is for "Straight" (180° is a straight line)

Or you can think:

when you are right you get a compliment (sounds like complement)

"supplement" (like a vitamin supplement) is something extra, so is bigger

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Supplementary Angles
Symbols in Geometry
Degrees (Angle)
Angles On a Straight Line
Angles Around a Point
Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles
Interior Angles

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 Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Supplementary Angles
Two Angles are Supplementary when they add up to 180 degrees.

These two angles (140° and 40°) are Supplementary 180°

Angles, because they add up to 180°:
140°
Notice that together they make a straight angle .
40°

But the angles don't have to be together.

120°
60°
These two are supplementary because
60° + 120° = 180°

Play With It ...

(Drag the points)

When the two angles add to 180°, we say they "Supplement" each other.

Supplement comes from Latin supplere, to complete or "supply" what is needed

Spelling: be careful, it is not "Supplimentary Angle"

Complementary vs Supplementary
A related idea is Complementary Angles , they add up to 90°

How to remember which is which? Well, alphabetically they are:

Complementary add to 90°

Supplementary add to 180°

You can also think:

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 "C" of Complementary is for "Corner" (a Right Angle), and

"S" of Supplementary is for "Straight" (180° is a straight line)

Or you can think:

when you are right you get a compliment (sounds like complement)

"supplement" (like a vitamin supplement) is something extra, so is bigger

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Complementary Angles
Angles On a Straight Line
Angles Around a Point
Degrees (Angle)
Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Adjacent Angles
Two angles are Adjacent when they have a common side and a common vertex
(corner point), and don't overlap.

A
C Angle ABC is adjacent to angle CBD
22°
Because:

they have a common side (line CB)

39°
D they have a common vertex (point B)
B

What Is and Isn't an Adjacent Angle

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 a a b

Adjacent Angles NOT Adjacent Angles

they share a vertex and a they only share a vertex, not

side a side

a b

NOT Adjacent Angles

they only share a side,

not a vertex

Don't Overlap!
ALSO the angles must not overlap.

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 b
a

NOT Adjacent Angles

angles a and b overlap

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2

Angles on a Straight Line

Angles Around a Point
Acute Angles
Reflex Angles
Right Angles
Geometry Index

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 Parallel Lines, and Pairs of Angles
Parallel Lines
Lines are parallel if they are always the same distance apart (called "equidistant"),
and will never meet. Just remember:

Always the same distance apart and never touching.

The red line is parallel to the blue line in each of these examples:

Example 1 Example 2

Parallel lines also point in the same direction.

Parallel lines have so much in common. It's a shame they will never meet!

Try it yourself:

Pairs of Angles
When parallel lines get crossed by another line (which is called a
118°
Transversal ), you can see that many angles are the same, as in this 62°
example:

62°
118°
118° 62°
These angles can be made into pairs of angles which have special
names.
62° 118°

Click on each name to see it highlighted:

Now play with it here. Try dragging the points, and choosing different angle types.
You can also turn "Parallel" off or on:

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Testing for Parallel Lines
Some of those special pairs of angles can be used to test if lines really are parallel:

If Any Pair Of ... Example:

Corresponding Angles are equal a=e

a b
or

Alternate Interior Angles are equal c=f

c d
or

Alternate Exterior Angles are equal b=g e f

or

Consecutive Interior Angles add up to 180° d + f = 180°

g h

... then the lines are Parallel

Examples

These lines are parallel,

because a pair of
Corresponding Angles are
equal.

These lines are not parallel,

because a pair of Consecutive
Interior Angles do not add up
to 180° (81° + 101° =182°)

These lines are parallel,

because a pair of Alternate

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 Interior Angles are equal

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Angles On a Straight Line

Angles Around a Point
Transversal
Congruent Angles
Vertical Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2023 Rod Pierce

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 Transversals
A Transversal is a line that crosses at least two other lines.

The red line is the transversal in each example:

Transversal this Transversal ... and this one

crossing two lines crosses two cuts across three
parallel lines lines

Pairs of Angles
When parallel lines get crossed by a transversal many angles are the
118°
same, as in this example: 62°

See Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles to learn more.

62°
118°
118° 62°

62° 118°

Vertically Opposite Angles

Corresponding Angles
Alternate Interior Angles
Alternate Exterior Angles
Consecutive Interior Angles
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2022 Rod Pierce

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 Interior Angles of Polygons
An Interior Angle is an angle inside a shape:

Exterior Angle
150°

Interior Angle 180°

30°

Another example:

Exterior Angle
115°

180°
Interior Angle
65°

Triangles
The Interior Angles of a Triangle add up to 180°

Let's try a triangle:

Now tilt a line by 10°:

90° + 60° + 30° = 180° 80° + 70° + 30° = 180°

It works for this triangle It still works!
One angle went up by 10°,
and the other went down by 10°

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Quadrilaterals (Squares, etc)
(A Quadrilateral has 4 straight sides)

Let's try a square:

Now tilt a line by 10°:

90° + 90° + 90° + 90° = 360°

80° + 100° + 90° + 90° = 360°
A Square adds up to 360°
It still adds up to 360°

The Interior Angles of a Quadrilateral add up to 360°

Because there are 2 triangles in a square ...

The interior angles in a triangle add up to 180° ...

... and for the square they add up to 360° ...

... because the square can be made from two triangles!

Pentagon
A pentagon has 5 sides, and can be made from three triangles, so you know what
...

... its interior angles add up to 3 × 180° = 540°

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 And when it is regular (all angles the same), then each angle is
540° / 5 = 108°

(Exercise: make sure each triangle here adds up to 180°, and check
that the pentagon's interior angles add up to 540°)

The Interior Angles of a Pentagon add up to 540°

The General Rule

Each time we add a side (triangle to quadrilateral, quadrilateral to pentagon, etc), we
add another 180° to the total:

If it is a Regular Polygon (all sides are equal, all

angles are equal)

Sum of
Shape Sides Interior Shape Each Angle
Angles

Triangle 3 180° 60°

Quadrilateral 4 360° 90°

Pentagon 5 540° 108°

Hexagon 6 720° 120°

Heptagon (or 7 900° 128.57...°

Septagon)

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 Octagon 8 1080° 135°

Nonagon 9 1260° 140°

... ... .. ... ...

Any Polygon n
(n−2) ×
180° n (n−2) × 180° / n

So the general rule is:

Sum of Interior Angles = (n−2) × 180°

Each Angle (of a Regular Polygon) = (n−2) × 180° / n

Perhaps an example will help:

Example: What about a Regular Decagon (10 sides) ?

Sum of Interior Angles = (n−2) × 180°

= (10−2) × 180°

= 8 × 180°

= 1440°

And for a Regular Decagon:

Each interior angle = 1440°/10 = 144°

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 Note: Interior Angles are sometimes called "Internal Angles"

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Interior Angles
Exterior Angles
Degrees (Angle)
2D Shapes
Triangles
Quadrilaterals
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2024 Rod Pierce

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 Exterior Angles of Polygons
The Exterior Angle is the angle between any side of a shape,
and a line extended from the next side.

Exterior Angle
150°

Interior Angle 180°

30°

Another example:

Exterior Angle
115°

180°
Interior Angle
65°

When we add up the Interior Angle and Exterior Angle we get a straight line 180°.
They are "Supplementary Angles" .

Polygons
A Polygon is any flat shape with straight sides

The Exterior Angles of a Polygon add up to 360°

In other words the exterior angles add up to one full revolution.

Press Play button to see.

(Exercise: try this with a square, then with some interesting polygon you invent
yourself.)

Note: This rule only works for simple polygons .

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 We can also think "each line changes direction
until we get back to the start again":

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Polygons
Degrees (Angle)
Angles Around a Point
Interior Angles of Polygons
Interior Angles
Exterior Angles
2D Shapes
Geometry Index

Copyright © 2024 Rod Pierce

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 Triangles Contain 180°

b C a In a triangle, the three interior angles always add to

180°:
A B
A + B + C = 180°
c

Try it yourself (drag the points):

We can use that fact to find a missing angle in a triangle:

Example: Find the Missing Angle "C"

85°
38°

Start With: A + B + C = 180°

Fill in what we know: 38° + 85° + C = 180°

Rearrange C = 180° − 38° − 85°

Calculate: C = 57°

Proof
This is a proof that the angles in a triangle equal 180°:

A B
C
A B

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 The top line (that touches the top of the triangle) is
running parallel to the base of the triangle.

Notice that:

angles A are the same

angles B are the same

And you can see that A + C + B rotates from one side of the straight line to the
other, or a full 180°

Mathopolis: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10

Pythagoras' Theorem
Right Angled triangles
Triangles
Trigonometry Index

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