Understanding Quadrilaterals: SquaresSquares are a special type of quadrilateral.

A great Geometry tutor in Costa Mesa

can help explain what makes a square different from other types of quadrilaterals, and how to identify one besides just saying “well, it looks like a square.”

A good tutor may ask their Geometry student

to look around the room and identify household objects that are squares.  There can be many: window panes, CD cases, the table, chair seats, picture frames, tissue boxes, and more items.  While a student may “know” that it’s a square, without knowing the geometric properties it’s hard to be able to tell a square from a rectangle, or from other types of quadrilaterals.

A Geometry tutor can explain the important geometric properties of a square:

  1. Opposite sides are parallel.  This means the there are two sets of parallel (same slope) sides in a square.
  2. All four sides are equal.  The parallel sides noted above will be equal to each other, as well as equal to the other sides. If a student knows the length of one side, then he or she knows the length of every side.  A common Geometry problem for students in Costa Mesa is that one side of a square will be shown as a measurement and the opposite side as an algebra equation.  For instance, one side may be shown at 3x – 6 and the other as 9.  Using algebra, you would set these equal to each other:

3x – 6 = 9

Add six to both sides, and

3x = 15

Divide by 5 to learn that

X = 5

  1. All four angles of the square are equal.   Since the angles of every quadrilateral add up to 360 degrees, this means that each angle of a square is equal to ninety degrees (360/4).  Therefore, a tutor may help a Geometry student set up a Geometric proof to find that:
  2. All four angles of a square are right angles.  Each angle is equal to ninety degrees.  Each side will be perpendicular to the one next to it.
  3. The diagonals of a square are equal.  This can be proved using the Pythagorean Theorem, as we discussed in an earlier post.  Each diagonal is the hypotenuse to a right triangle formed by two of the sides, and the triangles are congruent to each other.
  4. The diagonals of a square bisect each other.  The two diagonals of a square create four congruent triangles.

Tutoring can help your Costa Mesa Geometry student

understand squares and other quadrilaterals.

Help your child succeed in math with a Costa Mesa Geometry Tutor!

If you or one of your Geometry classmates is having a hard time understanding the differences in quadrilaterals, A Plus In Home Tutors offers Geometry tutoring to help your understanding and improve your grades.  We have Geometry tutors that will come to your home in Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, or Huntington Beach, and provide tutoring in Geometry and other subjects throughout Orange County.

For a great Geometry Tutor in Costa Mesa visit www.APlusInHomeTutors.com.

 

Posted in Costa Mesa, Geometry