Maths

Mathematical concepts, illustrated with photographs.

Photo of an acute angle.

Acute

An acute angle is one that is smaller than 90 degrees. A 90 degree angle is a "normal" corner, like you find inside most houses and the corners of a piece of paper. Acute angles can also be described as sharp or pointy. An angle larger than 90 degrees is called obtuse.

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Photo of curved seats

Curve

A curve is a line that bends to one side or the other along its length. The opposite of curved is straight.

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Photo of a man showing diameter on a cut tree

Diameter

The diameter of a circle is the measurement across the circle at its widest point. The man in the picture has his arms across the diameter of the cut tree.

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Half

This glass of water is half-full (some people would say half-empty). If you took two half-glasses of water and poured them together, you would get a full glass. A half is what you get when you cut something into two equal sized pieces.

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Photo of the roofline of a wooden building.

Obtuse

An obtuse angle is one that is larger than 90 degrees. A 90 degree angle is a "normal" corner, like you find inside most houses and the corners of a piece of paper. An angle smaller than 90 degrees is called acute.

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Photo of parallel lines

Parallel

Two lines are parallel if they are next to each other and are always the same distance apart. There are many parallel lines in buildings. The vertical lines the bricks make in the right side of the picture are parallel.

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Photo of a winding path.

Path

A path is a small road that connects two places. Paths are usually for people or animals, not large vehicles.

In math, a path is simply a way to connect two points, not necessarily in a straight line.

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Photo of a quartered apple

Quarter

This apple has been cut into quarters. This means it has been cut into four equal sized pieces.

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Photo of a circle in thirds

Thirds

This stone has broken into thirds. This means it has been cut into three equal sized pieces.

See also third.

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