Parallelograms


   
 
Special Parallelograms
 
Rectangles, rhombuses and squares belong to the set of parallelograms. Each of these may be defined as a parallelogram as follows:
 
A rectangle is an equiangular parallelogram.
 
A rhombus is an equilateral parallelogram.
 
A square is an equilateral and equiangular parallelogram.
 
Thus a square is both a rectangle and a rhombus.
 
The relations among the special parallelograms can be pictorially represented in the figure given below:
 
 
Since every rectangle and every rhombus must be a parallelogram, they are shown as subsets of a parallelogram and since a square is both a rectangle and rhombus, it is represented by the overlapping shaded section. Let us now define each of these special types of parallelograms.
 
Rectangle
 
A rectangle is a parallelogram with one of its angle a right angle.
 
Note:
It can be shown that each angle of a rectangle is a right angle.
 
 
 
(sum of interior angles on the same side of transversal AB)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corollary: Each of the four angles of a rectangle is a right angle.
 
 
Rhombus
 
A rhombus is a parallelogram with a pair of its consecutive sides equal.
 
ABCD is a rhombus in which AB=BC.
 
Since a rhombus is a parallelogram, AB=DC and BC=AD.
 
Thus AB=BC=CD=AD.
 
Corollary: All the four sides of a rhombus are equal (congruent).
 
Square
 
A square is a rectangle with a pair of its consecutive sides equal.
 
Since square is a rectangle, each angle of a rectangle is a right angle and AB=DC, BC=CD.
 
Thus AB=BC=CD=AD.
 
Each of the four angles of a square is a right angle and each of the four sides is of the same length.
 
 
     
   
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