DIGITAL

TEXTBOOK
on quadrilaterals
DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUADRILATERAL
NITHU SUNIL

PREFACE
DIGITAL TEXTBOOK is intended for use primarily as
textbook for learning about quadrilaterals in
mathematics. Every pupil who are interested in knowing
about quadrilateral can use this text for primary
information.
In the first chapter a small explanation about
quadrilaterals are given. In the second chapter different
types of quadrilaterals are introduced. In the third
chapter some more quadrilaterals are included which are
not familiar for us. In the fourth chapter perimeter of
different quadrilaterals are discussed. In the last chapter
area of different quadrilaterals are explained.

CONTENT
1. INTRODUCTION
4
2.QUADRILATERALS
5
3.TYPES OF QUADRILATERAL
6
4.MORE QUADRILATERALS
12
5.PERIMETER OF QUADRILATERALS
13
6.AREA OF QUADRILATERALS
14

I NTRODUCTION
In Euclidean geometry, a quadrilateral is a polygon with four sides (or
edges) and four vertices or corners. Sometimes, the term quadrangle is
used, by analogy with triangle and sometimes tetragon for consistency
with pentagon (5 sided) hexagon (6 sided) and so on.
The origin of the word quadrilateral is the two latin words
quadric, a variant of four and latus, meaning side. The interior angles
of a simple (and planar) quadrilateral ABCD add up to 360o of arc, that
A + B+C+ D=

360o

1. QUADRILATERALS AND ITS DIFFERENT TYPES

Quadrilateral just means four sides. A quadrilateral has four sides

is 2 D (a flat shape), closed (the lines join up) and has straight sides.

Properties of Quadrilaterals
Four sides (edges)
Four vertices (corners)
The interior angles add up to 360o

2.T YPES OF Q UADRILATERALS

There are special types of quadrilateral
(I)

THE RECTANGLE

I and II show equal sides

Rectangle means right angle. A
rectangle is a four-sided shape where every angle is a right angle (90 o).
Also opposite sides are parallel and of equal length.
(II)

THE RHOMBUS

A rhombus is a four sided are parallel and opposite angles are

equal.
Another interesting thing is that the diagonals meet in the middle
at a right angle. In other words they bisect (cut in half) each other at
right angles.
A rhombus is sometimes called a rhomb or a diamond.
(III) THE SQUARE

A square has equal sides and every angle is a right angle (90 o)
Also opposite sides are parallel. So a square also tots the
definition of a rectangle (all angles are (90 o) and a rhombus (all sides
are equal length)
(IV)

THE PARALLELOGRAM

A parallelogram has opposite sides parallel and equal in length.

Also opposite angle are equal (angles a are the same, and angle b
are the same.
Note: Squares, Rectangles and Rho
mbuses are all parallelograms

Example
7

This is a parallelogram with

All sides equal and
Angles are right angles.
So this makes a square.
(V)

THE TRAPEZOID (TRAPEZIUM)

A trapezoid (called trapezium) has a pair of opposite sides

parallel. It is called an Isosceles trapezoid of the sides that are not
parallel are equal in length and both angles coming from a parallel side
are equal.
(VI)

THE KITE

If looks likes a Kite with two pairs of sides. Each pair is made
up of adjacent sides (they meet) that are equal where the pairs meet.
8

Diagonals (dashed lines) meet at a right angle, and one of the diagonal
bisects the other.
And all thats are of the special quadrilaterals.
IRREGULAR QUADRILATERALS
The only regular is a square. So all other quadrilaterals are
irregular.

THE FAMILY TREE CHART

COMPLEX QUADRILATERALS
When two sides cross ones, you call if a complex or Self
Intersecting quadrilateral like there.

They still have 4 sides, but two sides cross over.

10

OTHER NAMES
A quadrilateral is a polygon. Since if four sides and closed figure
A quadrilateral can sometimes be called.
A Quadrangle Four angle so of sounds like triangle
A Tetragon (Four and polygon, so if sound like pentagon,
hexagon etc.

3.

M ORE Q UADRILATERALS

Equilic quadrilateral - It has two opposite equal sides that,

when extended, meet sat 60.

11

Watt quadrilateral It is a quadrilateral with a pair of opposite

sides of equal length.

Quadric quadrilateral is a convex quadrilateral whose four

vertices all lie on the perimeter of a square.

Geometric Chevron It is a quadrilateral with bilateral

symmetry like a kite, but one interior angle is reflex.

Skew

quadrilateral

(non-planar

quadrilateral/

gauche

quadrilateral) : A skew quadrilateral together with its diagonals form a

tetrahedron, and conversely every skew quadrilateral comes from a
tetrahedron where a pair of opposite edges is removed.

12

4.

P ERIMETER OF Q UADRILATERALS

Perimeter is the distance around the outside of quadrilateral.

The following chart shows how to find the perimeter of some
quadrilaterals.
Quadrilateral
Parallelogram

Figure

Perimeter
P = b+c+b+c
= 2b+2c
= 2(b+c)

Rhombus

P = S+S+S+S
= 4S

Rectangle

P = l + b+l+b
= 2(l+b)

Square

P =4S

Trapezium
P = a+b+c+d

13

5.AREA OF QUADRILATERAL

In the 600s CE Brahmagupta developed a formula, now known as

Brahmaguptas

Formula

for

the

area

of

cyclic

quadrilateral

(a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle) in terms of its sides. In 1842 the

German Mathematicians Carl Anton Bretschneider and Karl Georg
Christian von Staudt independently found a formula known as
Bretschneider's formula, for the area of any quadrilaterals.

PARELLELOGRAM

By drawing a diagonal

14

The two triangles we get are congruent, their area are equal.
Area of parallelogram = 2 x bh = bh
The area of the parallelogram is the product of the length of one
side and the distance to the opposite side.

Rhombus

The diagonals of a rhombus are perpendicular bisectors of each other,

arent they?
So, the diagonals divide the rhombus into four right angled triangles;
and they are all congruent. If the lengths of the diagonals are taken as
d1 and d2, then the area of one triangle is
x d1/2 x d2/2 = 1/8 d1 d2

15

So, the area of the rhombus is

4 x 1/8 d1 d2

= d1d2

The area of a rhombus is half the product of the diagonals.

TRAPEZIUM

We can divide this into a parallelogram and a triangle, by drawing a

suitable line.

The area of the trapezium can be found by finding the area of the
parallelogram and triangle and adding these.

Area of the parallelogram this is ah.

16

If the length of the bottom side of the trapezium is taken as b, then the
length of the bottom side of the triangle is b-a.
Let the distance be h between the parallel sides.

The area of triangle is (b-a)h

So, what about the area of the trapezium
ah + (b-a)h = ah + 1/2bh ah
= ah + bh
= h (a+b)

The area of the trapezium is half the product of the sum of its parallel
sides and the distance between them.

General Method
17

Method of calculating the area of a quadrilateral.

If the length of a diagonal is denoted by d and the lengths of the

perpendiculars from the other two vertexes are denoted by p1 and p2,
then
Area of the quadrilateral = [ xdxp1] + [ xdxp2]
= d (p1 + p2)
The area of a quadrilateral is half the product of the length of a diagonal
with the sum of the lengths of the perpendiculars from the opposite
vertexes.

18

PRACTICE PROBLEM
1. Find the area of parallelogram whose base is 7cm and
height is 4.5cm.
2. Find the area and perimeter of rhombus whose side is
8cm and its diagonal are 12cm and 15cm.
3. What is the equation to find the area and perimeter of
square and rectangle?
4. What are the different types of quadrilateral?
5. What is a complex quadrilateral?

19