INTRODUCTION TO

GEOMETRY
 Geometry
• The word geometry comes from Greek words meaning “to measure the
Earth”
• Basically, Geometry is the study of shapes and is one of the oldest
branches of mathematics
 The Greeks and Euclid
• Our modern understanding of geometry began with the Greeks over
2000 years ago.
• The Greeks felt the need to go beyond merely knowing certain facts to
being able to prove why they were true.
• Around 350 B.C., Euclid of Alexandria wrote The Elements, in which he
recorded systematically all that was known about Geometry at that
time.
 The Elements
• Knowing that you can’t define everything and that you
can’t prove everything, Euclid began by stating three
undefined terms:
Point
is that which has no part
(Straight) Line
is a line that lies evenly with the points
on itself
Plane (Surface)
is a plane that lies evenly with the
straight lines on itself

Actually, Euclid did attempt to define these basic

terms . . .
 Basic Terms & Definitions
• A ray starts at a point (called the endpoint) and extends indefinitely in
one direction.

A B AB

• A line segment is part of a line and has

two endpoints.

A B AB
• An angle is formed by two rays with the same endpoint.

side

vertex side

• An angle is measured in degrees. The

angle formed by a circle has a measure of
360 degrees.
• A right angle has a measure of 90 degrees.

• A straight angle has a measure of 180

degrees.
• A simple closed curve is a curve that we can trace without going over
any point more than once while beginning and ending at the same
point.

• A polygon is a simple closed curve

composed of at least three line segments,
called sides. The point at which two sides
meet is called a vertex.

• A regular polygon is a polygon with sides

of equal length.
Polygons

# of sides name of Polygon

3 triangle
4 quadrilateral
5 pentagon
6 hexagon
7 heptagon
8 octagon
9 nonagon
10 decagon
 Quadrilaterals
• Recall: a quadrilateral is a 4-sided polygon. We can further
classify quadrilaterals:
A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel
sides.
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral in which both pairs of
opposite sides are parallel.
A kite is a quadrilateral in which two pairs of adjacent sides
are congruent.
A rhombus is a quadrilateral in which all sides are congruent.
A rectangle is a quadrilateral in which all angles are congruent
(90 degrees)
A square is a quadrilateral in which all four sides are
congruent and all four angles are congruent.
 From General to Specific

Quadrilateral

trapezoid
kite
More specific

parallelogram

rhombus

rectangle

square
 Perimeter and Area
• The perimeter of a plane geometric figure is a measure of the distance
around the figure.
• The area of a plane geometric figure is the amount of surface in a
region.

area
perimeter
Trianglec
a
h

b
The height of a triangle is
measured perpendicular to the
Perimeter = a + b + c base.

1
Area = bh
2
 Rectangle and Square

s
w

Perimeter = 2w + 2l Perimeter = 4s

Area = lw Area = s2
 Parallelogram

a h

Perimeter = 2a + 2b

Area = hb  Area of a parallelogram

= area of rectangle with
width = h and length = b
 Trapezoida b

c h d

b a

Perimeter = a + b + c + d
1
Area = 2 h(a + b)

 Parallelogram with base (a + b) and height = h

with area = h(a + b)
 But the trapezoid is half the parallelgram 
Ex: Name the polygon
1 2

6
3
 hexagon
5
4

5
 pentagon

3
4
Ex: What is the perimeter of a
triangle with sides of lengths
1.5 cm, 3.4 cm, and 2.7 cm?

1.5 2.7
Perimeter = a + b + c
3.4
= 1.5 + 2.7 + 3.4
= 7.6
Ex: The perimeter of a regular
pentagon is 35 inches. What is
the length of each side?
s
Recall: a regular polygon is
one with congruent sides.
Perimeter = 5s
35 = 5s
s = 7 inches
Ex: A parallelogram has a
based of length 3.4 cm. The
height measures 5.2 cm. What
is the area of the
parallelogram?
Area = (base)(height)
5.2
Area = (3.4)(5.2)

3.4
= 17.86 cm2
Ex: The width of a rectangle is 12 ft.
If the area is 312 ft2, what is the
length of the rectangle?

12 312 Area = (Length)(width)

Let L = Length
L
312 = (L)(12)
L = 26 ft

Check: Area = (Length)(width) = (12)(26)

= 312
 r
Circle
d

• A circle is a plane figure in which all points are

equidistance from the center.
• The radius, r, is a line segment from the center of the
circle to any point on the circle.
• The diameter, d, is the line segment across the circle
through the center. d = 2r
• The circumference, C, of a circle is the distance around
the circle. C = 2r
• The area of a circle is A = r2.
Find the Circumference

• The circumference, C,
of a circle is the distance
around the circle. C = 2r
1.5 cm

• C = 2r
• C = 2(1.5)
• C = 3cm
Find the Area of the Circle
• The area of a circle is A = r2

• d=2r
• 8 = 2r
8 in •4 = r

• A = r2
• A = 2
• A = 16sq. in.
 Composite Geometric Figures
• Composite Geometric Figures are made from two or more geometric
figures.
• Ex:

+
• Ex: Composite Figure

-
Ex: Find the perimeter of the
following
15
composite figure
8

= +
Rectangle with width = 8 Half a circle with diameter = 8
and length = 15  radius = 4

Perimeter of partial rectangle Circumference of half a circle

= 15 + 8 + 15 = 38 = (1/2)(24) = 4.

Perimeter of composite figure = 38 + 4.

 Ex: Find the perimeter of the
following composite figure
60

12
28
42
?=b
12
28
?=a
60
b
a 42

60 = a + 42  a = 18 28 = b + 12  b = 16
Perimeter = 28 + 60 + 12 + 42 + b + a
= 28 + 60 + 12 + 42 + 16 + 18 = 176
 Ex: Find the area of the figure

3 3

3 8

Area of triangle = ½ (8)(3) = 12

8

Area of figure
= area of the triangle + area of
the square = 12 + 24 = 36.
3

Area of rectangle = (8)(3) = 24

Ex: Find the area of the figure
4 4

3.5
3.5

Area of rectangle = (4)(3.5) = 14

4
The area of the figure
= area of rectangle – cut out area
= 14 – 2 square units.

Diameter = 4  radius = 2
Area of circle = 22 = 4 Area of half the circle = ½ (4) = 2
Ex: A walkway 2 m wide
surrounds a rectangular plot of
grass. The plot is 30 m long
and 20 m wide. What is the
area of the walkway?
What are the dimensions of the big
2 rectangle (grass and walkway)?
30
Width = 2 + 20 + 2 = 24
20
Length = 2 + 30 + 2 = 34
2 Therefore, the big rectangle has area
= (24)(34) = 816 m2.
What are the dimensions of the small rectangle (grass)? 20 by 30
The small rectangle has area = (20)(30) = 600 m2.
The area of the walkway is the difference between the big and small
rectangles:
Area = 816 – 600 = 216 m2.
 Find the area of the shaded
region
10

10

Area of square = Area of each

102 = 100 circle = 52 = 25

r=5 ¼ of the circle cuts

10
into the square.
r=5
But we have four ¼
4(¼)(25) cuts into
the area of the square.
Therefore, the area of the shaded region
= area of square – area cut out by circles = 100 – 25
square units