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Kite
Try this Drag the orange dots on each vertex
to reshape the kite. Notice how
AB  always equals
AD and
BC equals
DC .
(If there is no image below, see support page.)
A kite is a member of the quadrilateral family,
and while easy to understand visually, is a little tricky to define in precise mathematical terms.
It has two pairs of equal sides. Each pair must be
adjacent sides (sharing a common vertex)
and each pair must be distinct. That is, the pairs cannot have a side in common.
Drag all the orange dots in the kite above, to develop an intuitive understanding
of a kite without needing the precise 'legal' definition.
Properties of a kite
- Diagonals intersect at
right angles.
In the figure above, click 'show diagonals' and reshape the kite. As you reshape the kite, notice the diagonals always intersect each other at 90°
- Angles between unequal sides are equal
In the figure above notice that
∠ABC = ∠ADC no matter how how you reshape the kite.
- Area
The area of a kite can be calculated in various ways. See Area of a Kite
- Perimeter
The distance around the kite. The sum of its sides. See Perimeter of a Kite
- A kite can become a rhombus
In the special case where all 4 sides are the same length, the kite satisfies the definition of a
rhombus.
A rhombus in turn can become a
square
if its interior angles are 90°. Adjust the kite above and try to create a square.
Related polygon topics
General
Types of polygon
Area of various polygon types
Perimeter of various polygon types
Angles associated with polygons
Named polygons
(C) 2007 Copyright John Page
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