Drawing and Measuring Angles

You must know how to use a protractor to draw and measure angles to the nearest degree.

Measuring Angles Less than 180° Calculating the Size of Angles Greater than
180°
Measure the size of the angle marked x.
Calculate the size of the angle marked y.

x
y x

Step 1: Place the protractor over the angle.

Step 1: Follow steps 1 to 4 of Measuring

x
Angles Less than 180°, ensuring you are
measuring the angle marked x and not y.
Step 2: Move the protractor so that one ‘ray’
of the angle is lined up with the zero (or base)
line of the protractor.

y x

Step 3: Move the protractor so that the angle

point is at the centre of the protractor. The angle marked x is 111°.

Step 2: Subtract the measured angle marked

x from 360°.
360 – 111 = 249
x
The angle marked y is 249°.

Step 4: Use the correct scale to measure the

angle. On both sides of the protractor, the
base line is marked with 0° and 180°. You
must use the scale that starts from 0°. In this
case, that is the scale on the inside.
The angle is 59°.

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles

Alternatively, you could use a full 360° angle Drawing Angles Less than 180°
measurer to measure the angle marked y.
Draw an angle of 75°.
Step 1: Move the protractor so that the angle
point is at the centre of the angle measurer.
Step 1: Draw a straight line.

Step 2: Place the centre point of the protractor

at one end of the line, making sure the line you
y x have drawn is going along the zero (or base)
line as well.

Step 2: Use the correct scale to measure the

angle marked y. Both the inner and outer
Step 3: Use the correct scale to measure the
scales are from 0° to 360°. You must start at
angle. In other words, use the scale which you
0° and use the scale which is around the angle
have lined up with 0°. In this case, that is the
y. In this case, that scale is on the inside (in an
scale on the outside.
anti-clockwise direction).
The angle marked y is 249°.
Step 4: Put a mark at the required angle. In
this case, make a mark at 75°.

Step 5: Remove the protractor and draw a

line (using a ruler) from the mark you made
to the end of the line where you placed the
protractor.

75°

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles

Drawing Angles Greater than 180°

Draw an angle of 285°.

Step 1: Subtract the reflex angle from 360.

360 – 285 = 75

Step 2: Using the answer from step 1, follow

steps 1 to 5 of Drawing Angles Less than
180°.
Draw an angle of 75°.

Step 3: Show the angle on the diagram, being

careful to label the other part of the full circle
and not the angle less than 180°.
Label the reflex angle with 285°.

x
285°

Alternatively, you could use a full 360° angle

measurer.

x
y

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles
Your turn
Measuring Angles
For each missing angle marked x:
i. Estimate its size.
ii. Measure the angle.
iii. Calculate the difference between your estimate and the measured angle.

a. b.

x
x

i. Estimated size of the angle is °. i. Estimated size of the angle is °.

ii. Measurement of the angle is °. ii. Measurement of the angle is °.
iii. The difference is °. iii. The difference is °.
c. d.

i. Estimated size of the angle is °. i. Estimated size of the angle is °.

ii. Measurement of the angle is °. ii. Measurement of the angle is °.
iii. The difference is °. iii. The difference is °.

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles

e. f.

i. Estimated size of the angle is °. i. Estimated size of the angle is °.

ii. Measurement of the angle is °. ii. Measurement of the angle is °.
iii. The difference is °. iii. The difference is °.
g. h.

i. Estimated size of the angle is °. i. Estimated size of the angle is °.

ii. Measurement of the angle is °. ii. Measurement of the angle is °.
iii. The difference is °. iii. The difference is °.

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles
Drawing Angles
Draw each angle accurately using a protractor and a ruler.

a. 60° b. 135°

c. 158° d. 42°

e. 15° f. 200°

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 Drawing and Measuring Angles

g. 305° h. 358°

Challenge
Draw a regular pentagon with line segments of 5cm.
Hint: A pentagon is a 5-sided shape. All the angles in a pentagon add up to 540°.

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