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Right angle

Adapted from Wikipedia · Explorer experience

An illustration of a triangle with angles labeled as 30°, 60°, and 90° – useful for learning about geometric shapes.

A right angle is a special shape that looks like a perfect “L.” It measures exactly 90 degrees. You can see right angles in many places, like the corners of a square or a rectangle.

When two lines cross at a right angle, they are called perpendicular lines. Right angles are also important in triangles. A triangle with one right angle is called a right triangle.

People have used right angles for a long time. The idea of a right angle helps us understand shapes and directions. It is a key part of many math and science ideas.

Images

Animation showing how to draw a perpendicular line using Thales' theorem in geometry.
An animation showing how to construct a perpendicular line using Thales' theorem – a fun geometry trick!

Related articles

Angle
Square
Triangle
Right triangle

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Right angle, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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