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A right angle is an angle equal to half the angle from one end of a line segment to the other. A right angle is radians or . A triangle containing a right angle is called a right triangle. However, a triangle cannot contain more than one right angle, since the sum of the two right angles plus the third angle would exceed the total possessed by a triangle.

A right angle is conventionally indicated in a diagram by a small square called a right-angle marker (Marecek et al. 2020, §9.3).

The patterns of cracks observed in mud that has been dried by the sun form curves that often intersect in right angles (Williams 1979, p. 45; Pearce 1990, p. 12; Steinhaus 1999, p. 88).

See also

Acute Angle, Full Angle, Gnomon, Oblique Angle, Obtuse Angle, Orthogonal Lines, Perpendicular, Right-Angle Marker, Right Triangle, Semicircle, Straight Angle, Thales' Theorem Explore this topic in the MathWorld classroom

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References

Marecek, L.; Anthony-Smith, M.; and Mathis, A. H. "Use Properties of Angles, Triangles, and the Pythagorean Theorem." §9.3 in Prealgebra 2e. Houston, TX: OpenStax, 2020. https://openstax.org/books/prealgebra-2e/pages/9-3-use-properties-of-angles-triangles-and-the-pythagorean-theorem.Pearce, P. Structure in Nature Is a Strategy for Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.Steinhaus, H. Mathematical Snapshots, 3rd ed. New York: Dover, 1999.Williams, R. The Geometrical Foundation of Natural Structure: A Source Book of Design. New York: Dover, 1979.

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Right Angle

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Right Angle." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/RightAngle.html

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