Difference between Rectangle And Parallelogram, Important Facts

Difference between Rectangle and Parallelogram :  The difference between the two is that all interior angles of a rectangle are 90 degrees, while angles of a parallelogram need not be 90 degrees. Read the complete article to learn the major difference between rectangle and parallelogram.

What Are Quadrilaterals?

A quadrilateral is a simple, closed figure with four sides, four vertices, and four angles. The sum of all of their internal angles is always equal to 360 degrees. Quadrilaterals are of various shapes and sizes and can have different combinations of side lengths and angle measures.

There are two main types of quadrilaterals given below.

• Rectangle 
• Parallelogram 

What is a Rectangle?

A rectangle is a quadrilateral having four right angles and equal opposite sides. The opposite sides of a rectangle are equal, and all the angles of a rectangle are a right angle that is 90 degrees. A rectangle is a 2D geometry used in various sectors of geometry, architecture, and graphic design. 

Important Properties of a Rectangle 

A rectangle is a type of parallelogram with additional characteristics. The following are the essential properties of a rectangle:

• Four Right Angles: All of the angles in a rectangle are right angles, which means they each measure 90 degrees.
• Equal and Parallel Opposite Sides: The opposite sides of a rectangle are equal in length and parallel to each other.
• Consecutive Angles in a Rectangle are Supplementary: Because consecutive angles in a rectangle are supplementary, the sum of any two consecutive angles is 180 degrees.
• Diagonals are Equal in Length: A rectangle’s diagonals are equal in length and intersect at right angles (90 degrees).
• The lengths of a rectangle’s two diagonals are equal, which is known as opposite diagonal equality.
• The perimeter (P) of a rectangle can be calculated using the formula, where l is the length and w is the width.

                                  P = 2l + 2w = 2(l+w)

• The area (A) of a rectangle is calculated using the formula, where l is the length and w is the width.

                                      A = l * w

What Are Parallelogram?

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with opposite sides that are both parallel and equal. Also, the opposite angles of a parallelogram are equal. There are various types of parallelograms, such as rectangles and rhombuses, which have additional properties beyond those of a general parallelogram.

Important Properties of a Parallelogram

A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with the following properties, which are discussed in detail below:

• Opposite Sides of a parallelogram are Equal: A parallelogram’s opposite sides are of equal length.
• Parallel Sides: The opposite sides of a parallelogram are parallel, which means they never meet.
• Equal Opposite Angles: A parallelogram has equal opposite angles.
• Consecutive Angles are Supplementary: Consecutive angles in a parallelogram are supplementary, which means that the sum of any two consecutive angles is 180 degrees.
• Diagonals Bisect Each Other: A parallelogram’s diagonals bisect each other, dividing each diagonal into two equal segments.
• The Lengths of the Parallelogram’s Opposite Diagonals are Equal: The lengths of the parallelogram’s two diagonals are equal.

Difference between Rectangle and Parallelogram 

Difference between Rectangle and Parallelogram : Parallelograms and rectangles are two of the most important types of quadrilaterals. Some of the major types of rectangles and parallelograms are mentioned in the table below.

Why Are All Parallelograms Not Rectangles?

All rectangles have the same properties as a parallelogram, but a parallelogram does not have the same properties as a rectangle.

• In a rectangle, all the angles are equal and measure 90 degrees, but in a parallelogram, the opposite angles are only equal to each other.
• In a rectangle, the diagonals are equal in length, whereas in a parallelogram, diagonals are not equal in length.

Important Facts about Rectangles and Parallelograms 

• The word rectangle comes from the medieval Latin rectangulum, which is a combination of rectus ‘straight’ and angulus ‘an angle’.
• The word “parallelogram” comes from the Greek word “parallelogrammon,” which is broken down as parallēlos ‘alongside another’ + grammē ‘line’.
• A rectangle is a type of parallelogram in which each pair of adjacent sides is perpendicular to the other.
• A parallelogram is a type of trapezium (also known as a trapezoid in North America) in which both pairs of opposite sides are parallel and equal in length.
• A rectangle is cyclic, which means that all of its corners can be found on a single circle.
• Parallelograms consist of rectangles, rhombuses, and squares.