Cuemath is one of the biggest online teaching platforms which offers after-school Math programs to the students of KG to 12th-grade at a reasonable price. Their main purpose is to clear the basic math concepts of the students so that they can overcome their fear of math. With the assistance of Cuemath, a child can become a great problem-solver. This article will help you to understand the concept of a parallelogram.

What is a Parallelogram?

The term ‘parallelogram’ is taken from Late Latin ‘parallelogrammum’, Middle French ‘parallelogramme’, and Greek word ‘parallelogrammon’ which implies “bounded by parallel lines”. It is a special type of two-dimensional quadrilateral (also known as a polygon) that is bounded by parallel lines. It is a geometric shape in which angles between the adjacent sides may differ but the opposite sides are parallel and congruent. Hence, the interior opposite angles and length of the pair of parallel sides of a parallelogram are equal.

This geometric figure can be classified into three types:

1. Rhombus: A rhombus is a parallelogram with four equal sides and four equal opposite angles.
2. Rectangle: A rectangle can be called a parallelogram when the two pairs of opposite sides are equal and parallel and all angles are right angles.
3. Square: Square is considered as a degenerate case of a rectangle as it also has four equal sides with four angles equal to 90 degrees. Also, diagonals of a square bisect each other at 90 degrees.

Therefore, rhombus, rectangles, and squares can be termed as special types of parallelograms.

Some facts about parallelogram:

1. There are four sides of the parallelogram.
2. It has four vertices.
3. It has two pairs of mutually parallel sides.
4. The type of polygon is quadrilateral.

What are the formulas and properties of a parallelogram?

Formulas of a parallelogram:

There are two basic formulas for every two-dimensional geometric figure which are area and perimeter.

• Area of a parallelogram: The area of parallelogram is the region occupied by its four sides in a two-dimensional plane. If length of the base and height of the parallelogram is given then the area can be calculated easily. The area is measured in square units such as cm2, inch2, m2. The area of a parallelogram can be calculated by using the below-given formula:

Area of a parallelogram= Base x Height

• The perimeter of a parallelogram: The perimeter of a parallelogram is the total length of its outline or total distance covered around its boundaries. If the value of the length and breadth of the parallelogram is given then the perimeter can be easily calculated. The perimeter is measured in units such as cm, m, inch. The perimeter of a parallelogram can be calculated by using the below-given formula:

Perimeter of a parallelogram: 2 (a+b) units

Properties of a parallelogram:

1. Its opposite sides are parallel and congruent.
2. Its opposite angles are equal or congruent.
3. The sum of the four angles of the parallelogram is 360 degrees.
4. The diagonal of a parallelogram bisect each other and separates them into two equal or congruent triangles.
5. The sum of consecutive angles of a parallelogram is 180 degrees (supplementary angles).

Give some real-life examples of a parallelogram?

1. Tiles: Tiles of different shapes such as square, rhombus, rectangle, parallelogram, etc, are manufactured by the industries and we have discussed above that all these shapes are classified into parallelograms. Therefore, tile is the best example of a parallelogram-shaped object.
2. Craft Papers: The shape of craft papers used to make artifact varies. But the most common shape available is a parallelogram.
3. Buildings: The buildings are designed in different geometrical shapes by the architects. A parallelogram is one of the common geometric shapes used by them to construct a building.

A parallelogram is a flat shape with opposite sides being equal and parallel. If you want to know more about parallelograms then the above article is the one that can help you to sharpen your concepts.