Rectangle

Pronunciation: /ˈrɛkˌtæŋ gəl/ ?

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A rectangle is a quadrilateral (four sided figure) with vertices that make right angles.[1] Properties of Rectangles All rectangles have four sides. The corners of rectangles are right angles Opposite sides of a rectangle are congruent. Opposite sides of a rectangle are parallel. The diagonals of a rectangle are congruent. The diagonals of a rectangle bisect each other. All squares are also rectangles. A rectangle is also a parallelogram. Formulas for a Rectangle Given the length (l) and width (w) of a rectangle: Formula Description A = l·w The area of a rectangle is the length times the width. P = 2·(l + w) The length of the perimeter of a rectangle is twice the length plus the width. The length of a diagonal of a rectangle is the square root of the length squared plus the width squared. This is derived using the Pythagorean Theorem. Table 1: Formulas of a rectangle.

Tesselations of Rectangles

Tesselations of rectangles are found in many applications, including brick laying. Table 2 shows six tesselations of rectangles.

Basket weave 1	Basket weave 2	Herring bone
Running Bond	Stack Bond	Subway

References

1. Stöcker, K.H.. The Elements of Constructive Geometry, Inductively Presented, pg 29. Translated by Noetling, William A.M, C.E.. Silver, Burdett & Company, 1897. (Accessed: 2009-12-31). http://www.archive.org/stream/elementsofconstr00noetrich#page/29/mode/1up.
2. rectangle. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/. WordNet. Princeton University. (Accessed: 2011-01-08). http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=rectangle&sub=Search+WordNet&o2=&o0=1&o7=&o5=&o1=1&o6=&o4=&o3=&h=.
3. Keller, Samuel Smith. Mathematics for Engineering Students, Plane and Solid Geometry, pg 77. D. Van Nostrand Company, 1908. (Accessed: 2010-01-02). http://www.archive.org/stream/firstsixbooksofe00caseuoft#page/77/mode/1up/search/rectangle.

Educator Resources

• McAdams, David E.. Rectangle Worksheet. lifeisastoryproblem.org. Life is a Story Problem. Life is a Story Problem.org. 2010-03-15. http://www.lifeisastoryproblem.org/worksheets/rectangle01.pdf.

Printed Resources

Cite this article as:

Rectangle. 2009-12-31. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem.org. http://www.allmathwords.org/en/r/rectangle.html.

Image Credits

• All images and manipulatives are by David McAdams unless otherwise stated. All images by David McAdams are Copyright © Life is a Story Problem.org and are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Revision History

2009-11-13: Initial version (McAdams, David.)