A Review of Basic Concepts in

Geometry and Algebra

POINTS AND LINE SEGMENTS
ANGLES
TRIANGLES
THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE

SYSTEM

POINTS AND LINE SEGMENTS

Point locates a position in a plane. It has no
dimension and is denoted with a capital letter.

POINTS AND LINE SEGMENTS

Line Segment is part of a line. It has a definite
length. The endpoints of a line segment are used to
name the line segment as well as to indicate its
length.
Ray or Vector when a line segment is indicated by a direction
through an arrowhead.

ANGLES
Angle is a geometric figure formed when two line
segments (or ray/vectors) meet at a common point.
vertex is the point where the two lines meet.
sides are the line segments that form the angle.

ANGLES
Two angles are adjacent if they have a common side.

Perpendicular lines are formed when two straight lines intersect and
form four equal angles. The angles formed are called right angle.

ANGLES

0 < < 90

= 90

90 < < 180

= 180

ANGLES
Complementary angles when the sum of two acute angles is 90.
Supplementary angles when the sum of two angles is 180.

TRIANGLES
Triangle is a plane closed figure formed by three line
segments. It has three angles and three sides.
sides the three line segments of the triangle
vertices the three angles of the triangle

TRIANGLES
In a triangle, the sum of the three angles is 180. An
exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of
the two opposite interior angles.

TRIANGLES
Right triangle is a triangle in which one angle is a
right angle.
legs two sides that form the right angle.
hypotenuse the remaining side which is opposite to the right angle.

TRIANGLES
TWO SPECIAL TYPES OF RIGHT TRIANGLES:
1.

30-60-90 Triangle is a right triangle whose acute angles

measure 30 and 60.

2.

Isosceles Right Triangle is a right triangle with two equal sides.

TRIANGLES
Isosceles Triangle has two equal sides and the angles opposite these
equal sides are also equal.

Equilateral Triangle has three equal sides. The three angles are also
equal, therefore it is also an equiangular triangle.

TRIANGLES
When the measures of two angles of one triangle are equal to the measure
of the two angles of another triangle, the two triangles are similar
triangles. The symbol for similarity is ~.
Characteristics of Similar Triangles:
1. The respective angles are equal, that is = , = , and =
Given the two angles for the two triangles, the third angle can be solved by:
= 180 - ( + ) or = 180 - ( + )
2. The ratio of corresponding sides are equal, that is a/e = b/f = c/g = k
( constant) or a = ke; b = kf; c = kg
3. The respective side ratios are equal, that is a/b = e/f; a/c = e/g; b/c = f/g

TRIANGLES
The altitude of a triangle is the perpendicular line segment that connects a
vertex of the triangle to the line containing the opposite side.
THREE CASES OF ALTITUDE:
1. When the altitude is inside the triangle. (fig. 1.16a)
2. When the altitude is a side of the triangle. (fig. 1.16b)
3. When the altitude is outside the triangle. (fig. 1.16c)

Area of a Triangle: A = 1/2bh

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

The rectangular coordinate system is a system in which an ordered

pair of numbers is associated with a point in a plane. It is based on two
perpendicular, real number lines.
- also called Cartesian Coordinate System in honor of its inventor,
Rene Descartes.
x-axis is the horizontal line in the
geometric plane.
y-axis is the vertical line in the
geometric plane.
origin is the point where the two
lines intersect.

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

Quadrants are the four regions defined by the two

reference axes in the rectangular coordinate system.

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

Positive to the right of the origin on the x-axis and above the origin on
the y-axis.
Negative to the left of the origin on the x-axis and below the origin on
the y-axis.

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

Ordered Pair - is a pair of real numbers.
Abscissa is the first number in an ordered pair and represents the
distance from the y-axis.
Ordinate is the second number in an ordered pair and represents the
distance from the x-axis.

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

Example 1:
Plot point A(2,-3) in the rectangular coordinate
system.

THE RECTANGULAR COORDINATE SYSTEM

Example 2:
Plot the following points: B(2, 5); C(-3, 2); D(-4, -3);
E(0, -5); and F(-5, 0).