Chapter 3 Geometry Vocabulary, Postulates and Theorems

Parallel Lines: two lines that do not intersect and

are coplanar.

Skew Lines: two lines that do not intersect and

are NOT coplanar.

Parallel Postulate: If there is a line and a point not

on the line then there is exactly one line through
the point parallel to the given line.

Perpendicular Postulate: If there is a line and a

point not on the line, there is exactly one line
through the point perpendicular to the given line.

Transversal: a line that intersects two or more

coplanar lines at different points.

Angles formed by transversals:

Corresponding Angles: have corresponding

positions.

Alternate Interior Angles: lie between the two

lines on opposite sides of the transversal.

Alternate Exterior Angles: lie outside the two

lines and on opposite sides of the transversal.

Consecutive Interior Angles: Lie between the two

lines and on the same side of the transversal.
Sometimes call same side interior.

Corresponding Angles Postulate: If two parallel

lines are cut by a transversal, then the pairs of
corresponding angles are congruent.

1|Page
 Chapter 3 Geometry Vocabulary, Postulates and Theorems

Alternate Interior Angles Theorem: If two parallel

lines are cut by a transversal, then the pairs of
alternate interior angles are congruent.

Alternate Exterior Angles Theorem: If two parallel

lines are cut by a transversal, then the pairs of
alternate exterior angles are congruent.

Consecutive Interior Angles Theorem: If two

parallel lines are cut by a transversal, then the
pairs of consecutive interior angles are
supplementary.

Corresponding Angles Converse: If two lines are

cut by a transversal so the corresponding angles
are congruent, then the lines are parallel.

Alternate Interior Angles Converse: If two lines

are cut by a transversal so the alternate interior
angles are congruent, then the lines are parallel.

Alternate Exterior Angles Converse: If two lines

are cut by a transversal so the alternate exterior
angles are congruent, then the lines are parallel.

Consecutive Interior Angles Converse: If two lines

are cut by a transversal so the consecutive interior
angles are supplementary, then the lines are
parallel.

2|Page
 Chapter 3 Geometry Vocabulary, Postulates and Theorems

Transitive Property of Parallel Lines: If two lines

are parallel to the same line, then they are parallel
to each other.

Slope of Lines in the Coordinate Plane:

Negative Slope: falls from left to right.

Positive Slope: rises from left to right.

Zero slope: horizontal line

Undefined slope: vertical line

Slopes of Parallel lines Postulate: In a coordinate

plane, two non-vertical lines are parallel iff they
have the same slope.

Any two vertical lines are parallel.

Slopes of Perpendicular Lines Postulate: In a

coordinate plane, two non-vertical lines are
perpendicular iff the product of their slopes is -1.

Horizontal lines are perpendicular to vertical lines.

Slope Intercept Form: y = mx + b

m = slope
b = y-intercept

Standard Form of a Line: Ax + By = C

A and B are not Zero

A is positive
A, B and C are not fractions

3|Page
 Chapter 3 Geometry Vocabulary, Postulates and Theorems

Theorem: If two lines intersect to form a linear

pair of congruent angles, then the lines are
perpendicular.

Theorem: If two lines are perpendicular, then they

intersect to form four right angles.

Theorem: If two sides of two adjacent angles are

perpendicular, then the angles are complementary.

Theorem: If a transversal is perpendicular to one

of two parallel lines, then it is perpendicular to the
other.

Theorem: In a plane, if two lines are perpendicular

to the same line, then they are parallel to each
other.

Distance from a Point to a Line: The distance from

a point to a line is the perpendicular distance from
the point to the line.

4|Page