Properties of Quadrilaterals
Parallelograms, rectangles, rhombi, squares, and trapezoids
Properties of Quadrilaterals
Parallelogram
A quadrilateral with both pairs of opposite sides parallel.
Properties:
- Opposite sides are congruent
- Opposite angles are congruent
- Consecutive angles are supplementary
- Diagonals bisect each other
Rectangle
A parallelogram with four right angles.
Additional properties:
- All properties of parallelograms
- Diagonals are congruent
Rhombus
A parallelogram with four congruent sides.
Additional properties:
- All properties of parallelograms
- Diagonals are perpendicular
- Diagonals bisect the angles
Square
A parallelogram that is both a rectangle and a rhombus.
Properties:
- Four congruent sides
- Four right angles
- Diagonals are congruent and perpendicular
- Diagonals bisect the angles
Trapezoid
A quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides.
Parts:
- Bases: the parallel sides
- Legs: the non-parallel sides
- Midsegment: connects midpoints of legs, length =
Isosceles Trapezoid
A trapezoid with congruent legs.
Properties:
- Base angles are congruent
- Diagonals are congruent
📚 Practice Problems
1Problem 1easy
❓ Question:
A parallelogram has one angle measuring 65°. Find the measures of the other three angles.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Recall properties of parallelograms:
- Opposite angles are congruent
- Consecutive angles are supplementary (add to 180°)
Step 2: Let's say angle A = 65°
Step 3: Find the opposite angle: Angle C = Angle A = 65° (opposite angles are equal)
Step 4: Find a consecutive angle: Consecutive angles are supplementary Angle B + Angle A = 180° Angle B + 65° = 180° Angle B = 115°
Step 5: Find the remaining angle: Angle D = Angle B = 115° (opposite angles are equal)
Step 6: Verify all angles sum to 360°: 65° + 115° + 65° + 115° = 360° ✓
Answer: The four angles are 65°, 115°, 65°, and 115°
2Problem 2easy
❓ Question:
In parallelogram ABCD, . Find .
💡 Show Solution
In a parallelogram, opposite angles are congruent.
Since and are opposite:
Answer:
3Problem 3easy
❓ Question:
A rectangle has a perimeter of 40 cm and a width of 8 cm. Find its length.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Recall rectangle properties:
- Opposite sides are equal
- All angles are 90°
Step 2: Use the perimeter formula: Perimeter = 2(length + width)
Step 3: Substitute known values: 40 = 2(length + 8)
Step 4: Solve for length: 40 = 2·length + 16 24 = 2·length length = 12
Step 5: Verify: Perimeter = 2(12 + 8) = 2(20) = 40 ✓
Answer: The length is 12 cm
4Problem 4medium
❓ Question:
A trapezoid has bases of length 8 and 14. Find the length of the midsegment.
💡 Show Solution
The midsegment of a trapezoid equals the average of the bases:
Answer: The midsegment is 11
5Problem 5medium
❓ Question:
The diagonals of a rhombus measure 16 cm and 12 cm. Find the length of one side of the rhombus.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Recall rhombus diagonal properties:
- Diagonals bisect each other at right angles
- Diagonals create four congruent right triangles
Step 2: Find half of each diagonal: Half of first diagonal = 16/2 = 8 cm Half of second diagonal = 12/2 = 6 cm
Step 3: Use Pythagorean Theorem: Each half-diagonal forms a leg of a right triangle The side of the rhombus is the hypotenuse
8² + 6² = side² 64 + 36 = side² 100 = side²
Step 4: Solve for the side: side = √100 side = 10 cm
Step 5: Verify using Pythagorean triple: This is a 6-8-10 triangle ✓
Answer: Each side of the rhombus is 10 cm
6Problem 6medium
❓ Question:
A trapezoid has bases of 10 cm and 18 cm. The two legs are equal in length. If one base angle is 70°, find the other base angles.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: Identify the trapezoid type: This is an isosceles trapezoid (equal legs)
Step 2: Recall isosceles trapezoid properties:
- Base angles are congruent
- The angles on each leg are supplementary
Step 3: Identify the given angle: One base angle = 70°
Step 4: Find the other angle on the same base: In an isosceles trapezoid, base angles are equal Other angle on that base = 70°
Step 5: Find angles on the other base: Angles on a leg are supplementary 70° + angle = 180° angle = 110°
Both angles on the other base = 110°
Step 6: Verify angle sum: 70° + 70° + 110° + 110° = 360° ✓
Answer: The four angles are 70°, 70°, 110°, and 110°
7Problem 7hard
❓ Question:
In rhombus PQRS, diagonal PR = 16 and diagonal QS = 12. Find the length of one side of the rhombus.
💡 Show Solution
In a rhombus, diagonals are perpendicular and bisect each other.
The diagonals split the rhombus into 4 right triangles.
Half-diagonals:
- Half of PR =
- Half of QS =
Use Pythagorean Theorem:
Answer: Each side is 10
8Problem 8hard
❓ Question:
Quadrilateral ABCD has the following properties: AB ∥ CD, AB = CD, AD = BC, and all angles are 90°. Classify this quadrilateral as specifically as possible and justify your answer.
💡 Show Solution
Step 1: List the given properties:
- AB ∥ CD (one pair of opposite sides parallel)
- AB = CD (those parallel sides are equal)
- AD = BC (other pair of opposite sides are equal)
- All angles = 90°
Step 2: Check for parallelogram:
- Opposite sides are parallel (AB ∥ CD, and AD ∥ BC implied)
- Opposite sides are equal YES, it's a parallelogram ✓
Step 3: Check for rectangle:
- It's a parallelogram with all right angles YES, it's a rectangle ✓
Step 4: Check for rhombus:
- Need all four sides equal We have AB = CD and AD = BC But we don't know if AB = AD Not necessarily a rhombus
Step 5: Check for square:
- Would need to be both rectangle AND rhombus
- We confirmed rectangle
- Need all sides equal for square Given info doesn't guarantee AB = AD Not necessarily a square
Step 6: Most specific classification: RECTANGLE is the most specific classification we can make
If we were also told AB = AD (or all sides equal), then it would be a SQUARE
Answer: This quadrilateral is a RECTANGLE. It's a parallelogram with all right angles, but we don't have enough information to prove all sides are equal (which would make it a square).
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