Think of a kite it has a quadrilateral shape, what else? Let’s discover five cool quadrilaterals facts for kids.
A quadrilateral is a polygon with 4 sides and 4 corners. A polygon is a flat figure that is made up of straight lines and is enclosed.
A quadrilateral with 4 right angles is known as a rectangle and a quadrilateral with 4 right angles and 4 equal length sides is a square.
All angles in any quadrilateral shape will add up to 360 degrees. The angles in rectangles and squares are all equal to 90 degrees.
If you know three angles of a quadrilateral you will be able to find the fourth as it must add up 360 degrees. In some quadrilaterals opposite angles are equal to one another.
The word ‘quadrilateral’ comes from the word ‘quad’ meaning ‘4’ and the word ‘lateral’ meaning ‘of sides’.
We hear the word quad used to describe objects with four sides or four wheels all the time. An example would be a quad bike, named because it has four wheels.
Quadrilaterals can be all different shapes and sizes as long as there are four sides and four corners. We already spoke about rectangles and squares but what other quadrilateral shapes are out there?
Quadrilaterals with two sets of parallel sides are called parallelograms. In a parallelogram the opposite angles of the quadrilateral are equal. A trapezoid is when there is only one pair of opposing parallel sides. A trapezoid looks like a triangle with the top chopped off.
A lamp shade would be a great example of a trapezoid. A rhombus is a quadrilateral with four sides of the same length. An example of a rhombus would be a diamond or a kite.
Quadrilaterals that you see in your home are books, doors, photo frames, table tops and a deck of cards.
Why not have a look around your house and see what quadrilateral shapes you can find in your home or garden. Try and figure out what type of quadrilateral you are looking at.
We hope you enjoyed learning about quadrilaterals, come and check out these articles about some other shapes: Circles, Mathematical Pyramids, Pentagon, Polygons, Spheres, Octagons, Rectangles, Geometric Shapes, Isosceles Triangle, Learning Shapes, Shapes Game, Amazing Shapes and 2D and 3D Shapes.
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