All About Angles!

Welcome to what I hope will be an interesting and informative blog for up and coming elementary math teachers. I myself have had a past of struggling in mathematics especially in elementary and secondary school. I think it was a combination of lack of interest, bad study habits, and teachers who never really took the time to help me learn the material. It wasn't until college that I started to really understand what a difference studying makes. I gave myself about two hours every school night to go over the material and try study problems. My grades continued to rise and I eventually became an honor roll student. Now, I still do struggle. Math does not come naturally for me, I really have to work hard to understand what I am doing. I also know that I am not the only one and that many people around the world have the same problems with math. 

So to the task at had! This week I will be discussing Geometry and the fun little terms that come with it. Most people think of Geometry as being all about shapes but it is so much more. Angles, lines, intersections, and all sorts of figures. First I will be talking about angles. Right angles are probably the most commonly known angle and they are a 90° angle but what about acute or obtuse angles? The words may sound familiar but do you know what they mean? An acute angle is an angle measuring between 0° and 90° and an obtuse angle measures between 90° and 180°. An easy way to remember which angle is which is by saying "a-cute little puppy, well the acute angle is the little angle". Here are some examples of acute and obtuse angles.

Moving on. So what do you know about zero and reflex angles? Not much? That's okay cause I was in the same boat. A zero angles measures at 0° and a reflex angle measures between 180° and 360°. These are a little easier to remember cause we know that a zero angle equals to zero degrees and we can remember what a reflex angle is by remembering that it has good reflexes and can stretch out. Here are some examples.

Next I want to talk about corresponding, adjacent and vertical angles. Corresponding angles occupy the same relative position at each intersection where a straight line crosses two other lines. Adjacent angles have a common side and a common vertex (corner point), and don't overlap.Vertical angles are the angles opposite each other when two lines cross.  Here is a picture to better represent.

Do you know what angles are corresponding and what angles are adjacent? How about which angles are vertical? Here are some examples....
Corresponding Angles:                           Adjacent Angles:                                Vertical Angles:
1 and 5                                                  2 and 1                                               2 and 4
2 and 6                                                  6 and 7                                               5 and 7
4 and 8                                                  3 and 4                                               1 and 3

Math is not as intimidating as it may seem. It only takes some studying and determination to understand the concepts. Tune in for next weeks blog on more math fun with Geometry!