What Is the Right Angle?-Definition, Example, And Triangle With Right Angle

A right angle is an angle that measures 90 degrees – the most commonly seen angle in our day-to-day lives. It can be seen in the corners of a room, the edges of boxes, and so on. The sides of a square and rectangle always form a right angle with each other. In radians, it is represented as π/2. In this article, we will discuss the concept of a right angle in more detail.

What is an angle?

An angle is created when two lines or rays intersect at a common endpoint. The point where these lines intersect is known as the vertex of the angle.

What is a Right Angle?

A right angle is an angle that measures exactly 90 degrees. Right angles are significant in geometry and trigonometry.

The most common form of a right angle is two lines that meet at a corner, forming an ‘L’ shape.

Right angles are represented with a square, while other angles are represented with a curved line. Knowing that one angle is a right angle allows students to calculate other angles within a shape.

Right Angle Definition

A right angle is an angle that measures exactly 90 degrees, or π/2. Angles that measure less than 90°, such as 87°, 56°, 77°, 42°, etc., are acute angles. Angles that measure more than 90°, such as 91°, 98°, 102°, 150°, 167°, etc., are obtuse angles.

Right Angle Shape

The figure below shows the shape of a right angle. It is formed by two rays and looks like the letter ‘L’

Right Angle Example

We often see right angles in everyday objects, such as the corners of a book or a table. Below is a figure of a rectangular board with right angles at the corners.

Real-Life Example of Right Angle

For example, we can see right-angle shapes in many everyday objects:

• The corners of a wall
• L-shaped sofas
• The edges of windows and doors
• The corners of laptops

Triangle with Right Angle

The right angle is also found in right-angled triangles. A triangle is considered to be right-angled if one of its three angles is equal to 90 degrees. The sum of the three interior angles of any triangle is always 180 degrees. So, if one angle in a triangle is equal to 90 degrees, then the other two angles must add up to 90 degrees.