Have you noticed how much we need to tilt back our heads to look at a tall person? If we were in France trying to look at the top of the Eiffel Tower we would probably need to tilt our heads back a whole lot more! We say that we would need to tilt our heads back at a very large angle to look at the top of the Eiffel Tower. We can also say that the angle by which we tilt our heads to look at a tall person is much greater than the angle needed for a shorter person.

Angles are a part of geometry. Geometry is the study of shapes, sizes and positions in math. For instance, studying a circle and its properties is a part of geometry. Or studying about a ship and which direction it needs to take to get to its destination uses geometry. Geometry is not just a concept we use in school, but in many other areas of life. It is an important subject for many occupations: architects, engineers, scientists, pilots, captains, astronomers, mechanics and artists all use geometry in different ways in their work. And that is why learning geometry is extremely important! Let’s begin looking at the different ‘angles’ of geometry!

Geometry for Beginners

Geometry is a part of mathematics. To understand it properly, it is very important to learn its vocabulary. A few common geometry words are:

• Parallel Lines: These are two lines which are side by side, never getting further, yet never getting closer! For example, the two railway tracks are parallel to each other.

• Angle: This is the measurement of the point where two lines meet. An angle is measured using a protractor. To get the correct measurement, it is always best to use a protractor with proper markings and to look at it from the top instead of the sides.

• Mid-Point: The centre point of any shape or line is called its mid-point. For example, the mid-point of a line is the point which divides the line into half.

• Symmetry: A shape that can be split in half along a line so that the two halves match perfectly is a shape with symmetry.

• Similar: Figures with the same shape are similar to each other. If all sides of triangle A and triangle B are the same, we say A is similar to B. This is true even if A was standing and B was lying down.

• Hexagon: A shape with 6 sides is called a hexagon. Similarly, there are different names for shapes with different numbers of sides.

The following links will give you much more information about geometry basics:

Geometry Forum
Grades 1 - 5: Teachers guide to geometry lessons, worksheets and games

Math Cats at Geometry
Grades 1 - 5: Geometry and math art idea bank for kids to explore geometry games and geometry’s uses in daily life

Geometry Games for Kids
Grades 1 - 3: Interactive math tools and activities for parents and teachers to do with children to help them learn patterns, shapes, angles and coordinates

Geometry at Cool Math
Grades 1 – 4: Colorful pictures and games to teach geometry basics like shapes

Kids Geometry Room
Grades 1 - 4: Quizzes and games to review geometry concepts with the help of pictures and sounds

Geometry Resources
Grades 1 – 5: An excellent treasure of more than 15 websites for each grade along with games and lessons

Geometry Games
Grades 1 - 6: A collection of interactive games to practice geometry angles, lines and other concepts

Geometry for the Brain
Grades 2 - 5: Tim and Moby teach geometry and ways to measure and construct angles

Innovative Geometry Math Games
Grades 2 - 5: Fun games to practice and learn geometry with links to other games

Geometry Quest
Grades 4 - 5: Detailed explanations of geometry rules and concepts

Basic Geometry
Grades 4 – 5: A tutorial introducing all the basic concepts of geometry with illustrations

Geometry Videos for Kids
Grades 4 - 5: Video lessons to teach kids polygons, areas and volumes

Home school Math
Grades 4 - 5: A library of games and websites to teach the concepts of geometry in fun and easy ways

Geometry and Measurement Games
Grades 3 – 6: More than 10 mind games to play in pairs to teach students coordinates and diagonals with printable sheets

Super Geometry Worksheets
Grades 3 – 6: Worksheets to teach various geometry topics like perimeters, areas, polygons, lines and similarity

Geometry Topics
Grades 2 - 6: Brief explanations of various geometry topics along with examples

Geometry Facts
Grades 4 – 6: An illustrated summary of important facts about angles in geometry

Advanced Geometry

Euclid is the great scientist who contributed the most to the field of geometry. According to Euclidian Geometry there are three undefined objects in geometry. These are:

• The Point: This is a dot. It indicates a location. Since it has no length, width and thickness it is said to be ‘undefined’.
• A Line: When lots of points are joined together, they become a line. A line has an infinite number of points. Since a line has no thickness, we can say it is ‘undefined’.
• A Plane: This is a flat surface. Since it can spread infinitely, it has an unlimited width and length. Hence, a plane is said to be ‘undefined’.

This was just one advanced concept of geometry. More concepts and ways in which they are used with formulas can be learnt from several websites.

The Geometry Directory
All Grades: 18 links to authentic websites to teach all about geometry

Geometry Help
All Grades: A collection of geometry lessons as well links from other websites with videos

Geometry Formulas
Grade 7: A brief revision of formulas and rules

Geometry Concepts
Grades 4 - High school: Illustrations on basic geometry vocabulary and concepts. This goes further to cover all topics of geometry including: shapes, angles, constructions and calculations. High school students can grasp all the important geometry concepts they’ll need in school on a single website

Geometry League
Grades 6 - High School: A detailed section on all geometry concepts and problems. The home page has math newsletters along with contests where you have the chance to win cool gifts like an I-pad!

Geometry Softwares
Grades 6 – High School: Create symmetrical art drawings

Fun Math Worksheets
Grades 7 – High School: Printable worksheets for teachers to use during class lessons and exams to teach transformations, constructions, loci and solids in geometry

Awesome Geometry Library
Grades 7 – High School: Covers geometry concepts lesson-wise and also includes links to fun geometry games

Geometry Tutorials
High School: Explanations with videos starting from geometry basics in chapter 1. The material here will help students revise all the important geometry concepts. Further chapters cover formulas, polygons and conic sections.

Learning Geometry
High School: Short video lessons to help students to learn how to think visually in geometry.