perpendicularity
Sign in to saveclass=skin-invert-image|right|thumb|236px|The segment AB is perpendicular to the segment CD because the two angles it creates (indicated in orange and blue) are each 90 degrees. The segment AB can be called the perpendicular from A to the segment CD, using "perpendicular" as a noun. The point B is called the foot of the perpendicular from A to segment CD, or simply, the foot of A on CD.
AI overview
Perpendicularity describes the relationship between two lines or segments that meet at a 90-degree angle, with each of the angles formed at their intersection being exactly 90 degrees. This concept matters because perpendicular lines are fundamental to measuring distances, constructing right angles, and establishing coordinate systems used across mathematics, engineering, and everyday spatial navigation.
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Article
18 sectionsContents
- Foot of a perpendicular{{anchor|Foot}}
- Construction of the perpendicular
- In relationship to parallel lines
- In computing distances{{anchor|Distance}}
- Graph of functions
- In circles and other conics
- Circles
- Ellipses
- Parabolas
- Hyperbolas
- In polygons
- Triangles
- Quadrilaterals
- Lines in three dimensions
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
class=skin-invert-image|right|thumb|236px|The segment AB is perpendicular to the segment CD because the two angles it creates (indicated in orange and blue) are each 90 degrees. The segment AB can be called the perpendicular from A to the segment CD, using "perpendicular" as a noun. The point B is called the foot of the perpendicular from A to segment CD, or simply, the foot of A on CD.
In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the perpendicular symbol, ⟂. Perpendicular intersections can happen between two lines (or two line segments), between a line and a plane, and between two planes.