Geometry Terminology: Definitions
1. Geometry: Figures and Their Properties
Acute triangle: A triangle where all angles are less than 90 degrees.
Equilateral triangle: A triangle where all three sides are of equal length.
Isosceles triangle: A triangle with two equal sides.
Scalene triangle: A triangle where all three sides have different lengths.
Right triangle: A triangle with one 90-degree angle.
Convex: A shape where all interior angles are less than 180 degrees.
Concave: A shape where at least one interior angle is greater than 180 degrees.
Polygon: A closed figure with straight sides.
Circle: A closed curve where all points are equidistant from the center.
2. Angles
Adjacent angle: Two angles that share a common side and vertex.
Alternate angle: Angles that lie on opposite sides of a transversal cutting two parallel lines.
Complementary angle: Two angles whose sum is 90 degrees.
Supplementary angle: Two angles whose sum is 180 degrees.
Corresponding angle: Angles in the same relative position at intersections of a transversal
and two lines.
Exterior angle: An angle formed outside a polygon by one of its sides and the extension of an
adjacent side.
Interior angle: An angle inside a polygon formed by two adjacent sides.
Reflex angle: An angle greater than 180 degrees but less than 360 degrees.
3. Lines and Points
Axis: A line around which an object rotates or is symmetric.
Collinear: Points that lie on the same straight line.
Chord: A line segment that connects two points on a curve.
Tangent: A straight line that touches a curve at a single point without crossing it.
Secant: A straight line that intersects a curve at two or more points.
Parallel lines: Lines in a plane that never intersect.
Perpendicular lines: Lines that intersect at a right angle.
4. Trigonometry
COS or Cosine: The ratio of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse in a right triangle.
Sine: The ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse in a right triangle.
Tangent: The ratio of the opposite side to the adjacent side in a right triangle.
Cotangent: The reciprocal of the tangent.
5. Fractions and Numbers
Common denominator: A shared multiple of the denominators of two or more fractions.
Denominator: The bottom part of a fraction that shows how many equal parts the whole is
divided into.
Numerator: The top part of a fraction that shows how many parts are being considered.
Divisor: A number by which another number is divided.
Factor: A number that divides another number without leaving a remainder.
Multiple: A number that can be divided by another number without leaving a remainder.
Prime number: A number greater than 1 that has no divisors other than 1 and itself.
Composite number: A number greater than 1 that has more than two divisors.
6. Measurements
Diameter: A line segment passing through the center of a circle that connects two points on
the circle.
Radius: The distance from the center of a circle to any point on the circle.
Circumference: The distance around the edge of a circle.
Area: The amount of surface covered by a shape.
Perimeter: The total length of the boundary of a shape.
Volume: The amount of space occupied by a 3D object.
Height: The vertical distance from the base to the top of an object.
Base: The bottom side of a shape.
7. Algebra
Variable: A symbol used to represent a number.
Equation: A mathematical statement that shows the equality of two expressions.
Inequality: A mathematical statement that compares two expressions using symbols like >,
<, ≥, or ≤.
Coefficient: A number that multiplies a variable in an equation.
Term: A single part of an expression or equation.
Exponent: A number that shows how many times the base is multiplied by itself.