Geometry/Angles

< Geometry
This page may need to be reviewed for quality.
An angle is the union of two rays with a common endpoint, called the vertex. The angles formed
by vertical and horizontal lines are called right angles; lines, segments, or rays that intersect in
right angles are said to be perpendicular.
Angles, for our purposes, can be measured in either degrees (from 0 to 360) or radians (from 0
to
). Angles length can be determined by measuring along the arc they map out on a circle.
In radians we consider the length of the arc of the circle mapped out by the angle. Since the
circumference of a circle is
, a right angle is
and so a right angle would be 90 degrees.

radians. In degrees, the circle is 360 degrees,

Contents
[hide]

1 Naming Conventions

2 Classification of Angles by Degree Measure

3 Special Pairs of Angles

4 Navigation
Naming Conventions[edit]
Angles are named in several ways.

By naming the vertex of the angle (only if there is only one angle formed at that vertex;
the name must be non-ambiguous)

By naming a point on each side of the angle with the vertex in between.

By placing a small number on the interior of the angle near the vertex.

Classification of Angles by Degree Measure[edit]

Acute Angle

an angle is said to be acute if it measures between 0 and 90 degrees, exclusive.

Right Angle

an angle is said to be right if it measures 90 degrees.

notice the small box placed in the corner of a right angle, unless the box is present it is
not assumed the angle is 90 degrees.

all right angles are congruent

Obtuse Angle

an angle is said to be obtuse if it measures between 90 and 180 degrees, exclusive.

Special Pairs of Angles[edit]

adjacent angles

adjacent angles are angles with a common vertex and a common side.

adjacent angles have no interior points in common.

complementary angles

complementary angles are two angles whose sum is 90 degrees.

complementary angles may or may not be adjacent.

if two complementary angles are adjacent, then their exterior sides are
perpendicular.
supplementary angles

two angles are said to be supplementary if their sum is 180 degrees.

supplementary angles need not be adjacent.

if supplementary angles are adjacent, then the sides they do not share form a
line.

linear pair

if a pair of angles is both adjacent and supplementary, they are said to form a
linear pair.
vertical angles

angles with a common vertex whose sides form opposite rays are called vertical
angles.

vertical angles are congruent.

Geometry/Points, Lines, Line Segments and Rays

< Geometry
Points and lines are two of the most fundamental concepts in Geometry, but they are also the
most difficult to define. We can describe intuitively their characteristics, but there is no set
definition for them: they, along with the plane, are the undefined terms of geometry. All other
geometric definitions and concepts are built on the undefined ideas of the point, line and plane.
Nevertheless, we shall try to define them.
Contents
[hide]

1 Point

2 Line

3 Ray

4 Plane

5 Space

6 N-dimensional Space

7 Further reading
Point[edit]
A point is an exact location in space. A point is denoted by a dot. A point has no size. A point
always has a capital letter.
Line[edit]
As for a line segment, we specify a line with two endpoints. Starting with the corresponding line
segment, we find other line segments that share at least two points with the original line
segment. In this way we extend the original line segment indefinitely. The set of all possible line
segments findable in this way constitutes a line. A line extends indefinitely in a single dimension.
Its length, having no limit, is infinite. Like the line segments that constitute it, it has no width or
height. You may specify a line by specifying any two points within the line. For any two points,

only one line passes through both points. On the other hand, an unlimited number of lines pass
through any single point.
Ray[edit]
We construct a ray similarly to the way we constructed a line, but we extend the line segment
beyond only one of the original two points. A ray extends indefinitely in one direction, but ends at
a single point in the other direction. That point is called the end-point of the ray. Note that a line
segment has two end-points, a ray one, and a line none. An angle can be formed when two rays
meet at a common point. The rays are the sides of the angle. The point of the end of two rays is
called the vertex.
Plane[edit]
A point exists in zero dimensions. A line exists in one dimension, and we specify a line with two
points. A plane exists in two dimensions. We specify a plane with three points. Any two of the
points specify a line. All possible lines that pass through the third point and any point in the line
make up a plane. In more obvious language, a plane is a flat surface that extends indefinitely in
its two dimensions, length and width. A plane has no height.
Space[edit]
Space exists in three dimensions. Space is made up of all possible planes, lines, and points. It
extends indefinitely in all directions.
N-dimensional Space[edit]
Mathematics can extend space beyond the three dimensions of length, width, and height. We
then refer to "normal" space as 3-dimensional space. A 4-dimensional space consists of an
infinite number of 3-dimensional spaces. Etc.
Geometry (from the Ancient Greek: ; geo- "earth", -metron "measurement") is a
branch of mathematics concerned with questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and
the properties of space. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is called
a geometer. Geometry arose independently in a number of early cultures as a body of practical
knowledge concerning lengths,areas, and volumes, with elements of formal mathematical
science emerging in the West as early as Thales (6th century BC). By the 3rd century BC,
geometry was put into an axiomatic form by Euclid, whose treatmentEuclidean geometryset
a standard for many centuries to follow.[1] Archimedes developed ingenious techniques for
calculating areas and volumes, in many ways anticipating modernintegral calculus.