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Angle

math Maturity 11-13 Vital Level 3 Next article →

An angle is a shape made when two lines meet at a single point.

Angle
Angle

The lines are called the sides of the angle. The point where they meet is known as the vertex. You can think of an angle in a few different ways. It might be the opening between the two sides. It could also be the area of the plane between them. Some people see an angle as the amount of rotation needed to move one side to the other.

Angle diagram
Angle diagram

Angles come in many different sizes and types.

Angle types
Angle types

An acute angle is small and measures less than 90 degrees. A right angle is exactly 90 degrees and forms a perfect corner. When lines are perpendicular, they form this right angle. An obtuse angle is larger than a right angle but smaller than a straight angle. A straight angle measures 180 degrees and looks like a flat line. If the angle is even larger, it is called a reflex angle. A full angle, or perigon, is a complete turn of 360 degrees.

We use special units to measure how big an angle is.

Basic angle in circle
Basic angle in circle

The most common unit is the degree, shown with a small circle symbol. A full turn is divided into 360 degrees. Another way to measure is using turns, which shows a part of a circle. Scientists also use radians to measure angles. One full turn is about 6.28 radians. In physics, people sometimes use signed angles to show direction. A positive angle means an anti-clockwise turn, while a negative angle means a clockwise turn.

Angles can also work together in interesting ways.

Angle addition
Angle addition

When two angles share a side and a vertex, they are called adjacent angles. If two lines cross, they create vertical angles that are opposite each other. These vertical angles are always equal in size. Some pairs of angles have special names based on their sum. Complementary angles add up to a right angle. Supplementary angles add up to a straight angle. Explementary angles add up to a full 360-degree turn.

You can find angles in many shapes like triangles and polygons.

ExternalAngles
ExternalAngles

The angles inside a shape are called interior angles. In a triangle, the three interior angles always add up to 180 degrees. For a four-sided shape, the interior angles add up to 360 degrees. The angles on the outside are called exterior angles. You can measure angles by using a tool called a protractor. You can also use math to calculate them using circles and rotation.

Radian measurement
Radian measurement
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🖼️ Images & Media (10)
File:Angle.svg
Angle.svg
File:Angle diagram.svg
Angle diagram.svg
File:Angle addition.svg
Angle addition.svg
File:Angle types.svg
Angle types.svg
File:ExternalAngles.svg
ExternalAngles.svg
File:Basic angle in circle.svg
Basic angle in circle.svg
File:Radian measurement.svg
Radian measurement.svg
File:Angles on the unit circle.svg
Angles on the unit circle.svg
File:Curve angles.svg
Curve angles.svg
File:Hyperbolic_rotation.gif
Hyperbolic_rotation.gif
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