Geometry Introduction

Are you sick and tired of three-sided, triangular, geometric constructions? Why, of course you are! We'll bet you could use some time off to go out to the park and fly your kite. Maybe you feel like playing a game of baseball on the diamond. Perhaps a game of four-square with a group of friends sounds like fun. You could always hit the gym and work your quads and traps.

All puns aside, you can't honestly think you're off the hook that easily. Quadrilaterals are everywhere we work and play. Inventors, scientists, and engineers use basic quadrilaterals to create some of the craziest machines and toys around. And if we're going to build things using quadrilaterals, we need to understand these creatures inside and out. 

How many sides do they have? What kind of shapes do they come in? Do they enjoy eating tuna salad and sailing? Probably not in that order—unless they want chicken of the seasickness all over the starboard. Gross.

In this chapter, we'll discuss why quadrilaterals are so much cooler than boring old triangles, the collection of shapes that makes up the phylum of the quadrilateral species, how the phylum relates to the larger kingdom of polygons and other kingdoms of shapes, and what quadrilaterals like to eat for lunch. (Hint: it's most definitely not tuna salad.)

Lace up your learning boots, pack your protractor, and get ready to explore these four-sided fauna.