Properties
- Diagonals of a parallelogram bisect each other,
- Opposite sides of a parallelogram are parallel (by definition) and so will never intersect.
- The area of a parallelogram is twice the area of a triangle created by one of its diagonals.
- The area of a parallelogram is also equal to the magnitude of the vector cross product of two adjacent sides.
- Any line through the midpoint of a parallelogram bisects the area.
- Any non-degenerate affine transformation takes a parallelogram to another parallelogram.
- A parallelogram has rotational symmetry of order 2 (through 180°). If it also has two lines of reflectional symmetry then it must be a rhombus or an oblong.
- The perimeter of a parallelogram is 2(a + b) where a and b are the lengths of adjacent sides.
- The sum of the distances from any interior point of a parallelogram to the sides is independent of the location of the point. (This is an extension of Viviani's theorem). The converse also holds: If the sum of the distances from a point in the interior of a quadrilateral to the sides is independent of the location of the point, then the quadrilateral is a parallelogram.
Read more about this topic: Parallelogram
Famous quotes containing the word properties:
“A drop of water has the properties of the sea, but cannot exhibit a storm. There is beauty of a concert, as well as of a flute; strength of a host, as well as of a hero.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)
“The reason why men enter into society, is the preservation of their property; and the end why they choose and authorize a legislative, is, that there may be laws made, and rules set, as guards and fences to the properties of all the members of the society: to limit the power, and moderate the dominion, of every part and member of the society.”
—John Locke (16321704)