Kites in Geometry: Definition and Properties - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
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Quiz & Worksheet - Properties of Kites in Geometry Quiz
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0:05 A Kite
1:38 Angles
2:50 A Rhombus and a Square
A kite is traditionally defined as a four-sided, flat shape with two pairs of adjacent sides that are equal to each other. Okay, so that sounds kind of complicated. But never fear, I will explain. See, a kite shape looks like a diamond whose middle has been shifted upwards a bit. The top two sides are equal to each other in length, as are the bottom two sides.
Another way of picturing a kite is to think of the old-school type of kite that people used to fly. When I was a kid, that was the kind of kite that I flew. It looked like a diamond with its center shifted upwards. It flew well, and I got it to fly really high.
So, a kite has four total sides. We can separate these four sides into two pairs of adjacent sides, or two pairs of sides that are next to each other. If you draw a kite similar to the flying kites, then the two pairs would be the top two sides and the bottom two sides. Each pair has a different measurement, but the sides in each pair are the same length. So, the top two sides will share the same length, and the bottom two sides will share a length, but the length of the top sides may be different from the bottom sides.
If you draw the diagonal lines connecting the opposite corners to each other, one of the diagonals intersects the other right in the middle. In other words, one of the diagonals bisects the other. If you are looking at a flying kite, usually it is the horizontal diagonal that is cut in half by the other.
The point where the diagonals meet is made up of right angles. Back in the day, when people made their own flying kites, they would actually start by making the diagonals. They would take two sticks and place one stick perpendicular to the other stick. Then they finished the kite by wrapping this frame with kite fabric. You can see clearly below that the point where the diagonals intersect is made up of right angles.
The point where the diagonals intersect is made of right angles.
A kite also has one pair of opposite angles that are equal to each other. This pair is the one that is connected by the diagonal that is cut in half. So, if you are looking at a flying kite, the angles that are equal to each other are the ones that are on the sides. They are actually the angles that divide the kite between the top part and the bottom part. One way to identify these angles is to ask yourself if the two sides that form the angle are part of a pair of equal adjacent sides or not. If the two sides that form the angle do make up a pair of equal adjacent sides, then this angle is not part of the pair of opposite angles that are equal to each other. The angle has to be between the two pairs of equal adjacent sides.
A Rhombus and Square
A special case presents itself when the kite has all four of its sides equal to each other in length. When this happens, the kite is also a rhombus, a four-sided flat shape whose sides are all equal and whose opposite sides are parallel. A rhombus looks like a square that is leaning.
If, in addition to the four equal sides, the kite also had all four angles measuring 90 degrees, then we would also have a square, a four-sided flat shape whose sides are all equal and whose angles are all right angles measuring 90 degrees.
What have we learned? We learned that a kite is a four-sided flat shape with two pairs of adjacent sides that are equal to each other. A kite looks like the traditional kite that people used to fly outdoors. A kite has several properties. For the sides, a kite has two pairs of equal adjacent sides. One diagonal also bisects the other diagonal. The angles between the two pairs of equal adjacent sides are equal to each other. Also, the angles produced by the intersection of the diagonals are right angles. A kite is a rhombus only when all the sides are equal in length to each other, and a square when those four equal sides form four right angles.
Define the geometric shape of a kite
Describe the properties of a kite
Explain when a kite is also a rhombus or a square
Kites in Geometry: Definition and Properties Related Study Materials
Kites in Geometry: Definition and Properties - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com
Rectangles: Definition, Properties & ConstructionNext Lesson
Quiz & Worksheet - Properties of Kites in Geometry Quiz
Coming up next: Rectangles: Definition, Properties & Construction
0:05 A Kite
1:38 Angles
2:50 A Rhombus and a Square
A kite is traditionally defined as a four-sided, flat shape with two pairs of adjacent sides that are equal to each other. Okay, so that sounds kind of complicated. But never fear, I will explain. See, a kite shape looks like a diamond whose middle has been shifted upwards a bit. The top two sides are equal to each other in length, as are the bottom two sides.
Another way of picturing a kite is to think of the old-school type of kite that people used to fly. When I was a kid, that was the kind of kite that I flew. It looked like a diamond with its center shifted upwards. It flew well, and I got it to fly really high.
So, a kite has four total sides. We can separate these four sides into two pairs of adjacent sides, or two pairs of sides that are next to each other. If you draw a kite similar to the flying kites, then the two pairs would be the top two sides and the bottom two sides. Each pair has a different measurement, but the sides in each pair are the same length. So, the top two sides will share the same length, and the bottom two sides will share a length, but the length of the top sides may be different from the bottom sides.
If you draw the diagonal lines connecting the opposite corners to each other, one of the diagonals intersects the other right in the middle. In other words, one of the diagonals bisects the other. If you are looking at a flying kite, usually it is the horizontal diagonal that is cut in half by the other.
The point where the diagonals meet is made up of right angles. Back in the day, when people made their own flying kites, they would actually start by making the diagonals. They would take two sticks and place one stick perpendicular to the other stick. Then they finished the kite by wrapping this frame with kite fabric. You can see clearly below that the point where the diagonals intersect is made up of right ang
les.
The point where the diagonals intersect is made of right angles.
A kite also has one pair of opposite angles that are equal to each other. This pair is the one that is connected by the diagonal that is cut in half. So, if you are looking at a flying kite, the angles that are equal to each other are the ones that are on the sides. They are actually the angles that divide the kite between the top part and the bottom part. One way to identify these angles is to ask yourself if the two sides that form the angle are part of a pair of equal adjacent sides or not. If the two sides that form the angle do make up a pair of equal adjacent sides, then this angle is not part of the pair of opposite angles that are equal to each other. The angle has to be between the two pairs of equal adjacent sides.
A Rhombus and Square
A special case presents itself when the kite has all four of its sides equal to each other in length. When this happens, the kite is also a rhombus, a four-sided flat shape whose sides are all equal and whose opposite sides are parallel. A rhombus looks like a square that is leaning.
If, in addition to the four equal sides, the kite also had all four angles measuring 90 degrees, then we would also have a square, a four-sided flat shape whose sides are all equal and whose angles are all right angles measuring 90 degrees.
What have we learned? We learned that a kite is a four-sided flat shape with two pairs of adjacent sides that are equal to each other. A kite looks like the traditional kite that people used to fly outdoors. A kite has several properties. For the sides, a kite has two pairs of equal adjacent sides. One diagonal also bisects the other diagonal. The angles between the two pairs of equal adjacent sides are equal to each other. Also, the angles produced by the intersection of the diagonals are right angles. A kite is a rhombus only when all the sides are equal in length to each other, and a square when those four equal sides form four right angles.
Define the geometric shape of a kite
Describe the properties of a kite
Explain when a kite is also a rhombus or a square
Kites in Geometry: Definition and Properties Related Study Materials