Special properties of Rectangles

The Rectangle is a 4-sided flat shape with straight sides where all interior angles are
right angles (90).
Also opposite sides are parallel and of equal length.
How to prove and Solve a Rectangle
one diagonal is top left to bottom righgt.
the other diagonal is bottom left to top right.
these diagonals form 2 right triangle.
the top right triangle has the 90 degree angle at the top left of the rectangle.
the bottom right triangle has the 90 degree angle at the bottom right of the
rectangle.
these right triangles are congruent to each other by SAS.
since they are congruent to each other, then their corresponding sides are all
congruent.
this includes the diagonals of the rectangle which means that the diagonals of the
rectangle are also congruent.
if you use coordinate geometry to prove that they are congruent, all you have to do
is find the length of the top of the rectangle and the length of the bottom of the
rectangle and then solve for the length of the diagonals by using the pythagorean
formula.
the following picture shows the rectangle and the triangles formed by the diagonals
and the geometric interpretation of the proof that the diagonals are congruent to
each other.
Examples
Problem 1
In rectangle STAR below, SA =5, what is the length of RT?

Answer: Since the diagonals of a rectangle are congruent, RT has the same length
as SA.
Therefore, RT = 5

Problem 2
If side MN = 12 and side ML = 5, what is the length of the other two sides?

Answer: Side LO = 12 and NO = 5

Remember that a rectangle is a parallelogram, so it has all of the properties of
parallelograms , including congruent opposite sides.

Problem 3
How Long is MO and MZ in the rectangle pictured on the left?

Answer: Finding length of MO

Since the diagonals of a rectangle are congruent MO = 26.
Finding length of MZ
To find MZ, you must remember that the diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each
other.(Remember a rectangle is a type of parallelogram so rectangles get all of
the parallelogram properties)
If MO = 26 and the diagonals bisect each other, then MZ = (26) = 13