Definition
Parallelogram
A parallelogram is a four-sided shape with both pairs of opposite sides parallel.
Continue from this idea into connected AXIO math.
What it means
Look across the shape, not next door. The top and bottom sides run in the same direction, and the left and right sides run in the same direction. The shape may lean, and it may also have right angles.
Remember it
Opposite sides travel as two matching pairs: one pair this way, one pair that way.
Example
Join the points (1, 1), (6, 1), (8, 4), and (3, 4) in order. The first and third sides are horizontal. From (6, 1) to (8, 4), and from (1, 1) to (3, 4), each side moves 2 units right and 3 units up, so the other opposite pair is parallel too.
Watch for
One parallel pair is not enough; both pairs of opposite sides must be parallel.
Common mix-up
A rectangle still counts as a parallelogram because its opposite sides are parallel; a parallelogram does not have to look slanted.
Exact meaning
A parallelogram is a quadrilateral whose two pairs of opposite sides are parallel. Rectangles, rhombuses, and squares are special parallelograms.