Understanding Complementary Angles: Definition, Examples, and Applications

complementary angles

Complementary angles are pairs of angles that add up to 90 degrees

Complementary angles are pairs of angles that add up to 90 degrees. In other words, when you add the measures of two complementary angles together, the sum is always 90 degrees.

For example, let’s say we have two angles, angle A and angle B, and they are complementary. The measure of angle A is x degrees. To find the measure of angle B, we subtract the measure of angle A from 90 degrees. So, angle B would be 90 – x degrees.

It’s important to note that complementary angles do not have to be adjacent or next to each other. They can be anywhere in a figure or on a coordinate plane as long as their measures add up to 90 degrees.

Here’s an example to further illustrate this concept:

Let’s say we have a right angle, which measures 90 degrees. We can then split this right angle into two complementary angles. One angle can measure 45 degrees, and the other angle can measure 45 degrees as well. When we add these two angles together, we get 45 + 45 = 90 degrees, which confirms that they are complementary.

Complementary angles can be useful in solving various types of math problems. For example, if you know the measure of one angle in a pair of complementary angles, you can easily find the measure of the other angle by subtracting it from 90 degrees.

In summary, complementary angles are pairs of angles that add up to 90 degrees. They can be found in various contexts and are often used in geometry and algebra calculations.

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