Perpendicular And Parallel - Math Is Fun

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Perpendicular and Parallel

Perpendicular

Perpendicular means at right angles (90°) to.

The red line is perpendicular to the blue line here:

Perpendicular Examples

Here also:

Perpendicular Examples

(The little box drawn in the corner, means "at right angles", so we didn't really need to also show that it was 90°, but we just wanted to!)

Try for yourself:

geometry/images/geom-parallel.js?mode=perp

Parallel

railway lines

Lines are parallel if they are always the same distance apart (called "equidistant"), and will never meet. They also point in the same direction.

Just remember:

Always the same distance apart and never touching.

The red line and blue line are parallel in both these examples:

Parallel Example 1 Example 1 Parallel Example 2 Example 2

Try it yourself:

geometry/images/geom-parallel.js?mode=par

Perpendicular to Parallel

Question: What is the difference between perpendicular and parallel? Answer: 90 degrees (a right angle)

That's right, when we rotate a perpendicular line by 90° it becomes parallel (except if it overlaps!)

Perpendicular Perpendicular ... Rotate 90 Degrees rotate one line 90° Parallel ... Parallel

Likewise, parallel lines become perpendicular when one line is rotated 90°.

Parallel Curves

Curves can also be parallel when they keep the same distance apart (called "equidistant"), like railroad tracks.

The red curve is parallel to the blue curve in both these cases:

Parallel Curves Example 1 Parallel Curves Example 1

Parallel Surfaces

layer cake

Surfaces can also be parallel, like here:

Parallel Surfaces

Lines and Planes

plane perpendicular Advanced Topic: You can also learn about Parallel and Perpendicular Lines and Planes 9519, 9520, 9521, 9522, 9523, 9524, 9525, 9526 Parallel Lines and Pairs of Angles Parallel and Perpendicular Lines and Planes Finding Parallel and Perpendicular Lines Using Algebra Geometry Index

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