A parallelogram and a quadrilateral are both four-sided. A parallelogram comes under a quadrilateral. Because a quadrilateral means a four-sided shape. A parallelogram is a type of quadrilateral.
Both quadrilaterals and a parallelogram have their properties and characteristics which set them apart. The total of all angles of a parallelogram and quadrilateral is 360 degrees.
Key Takeaways
- A parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides, while a quadrilateral is a four-sided polygon.
- Unlike a parallelogram, not all quadrilaterals have parallel sides. A quadrilateral can have sides of different lengths and angles.
- Both parallelograms and quadrilaterals have several properties and formulas associated with their sides, angles, and diagonals, which are useful in geometry and mathematics.
Parallelogram vs Quadrilateral
The difference between a parallelogram and a quadrilateral is that a parallelogram is a four-sided shape with opposite sides having an equal length to each other. On the other hand, a quadrilateral is a four-sided shape that may or may not have opposite sides similar to each other, like a parallelogram.
A parallelogram is a two-dimensional geometric figure. This shape has four sides to it, along with four corners. Out of these four sides, the opposite sides of a parallelogram have the same length. They not only have the exact contrasting measurements, but opposite sides are parallel to each other too.
A Quadrilateral is a two-dimensional geometric figure. This shape may or may not have all sides of it equal or parallel to each other. Many kinds of conditions come under the same category. A quadrilateral has four sides to it, along with four corners. The part ‘quad’ in quadrilateral means four.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Parallelogram | Quadrilateral |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A parallelogram is a two-dimensional geometric figure, having its opposite sides equal. | A quadrilateral is a two-dimensional geometric figure that may or may not have any of its sides equal. |
| Opposite sides | In a parallelogram, opposite sides are always parallel to each other. | In a quadrilateral, the opposite sides may or may not be parallel. |
| Opposite angles | In a parallelogram, the sum of the opposite angles is always equal: always 180 degrees which are supplementary angles. | The opposite angles of a quadrilateral may or may not always be equal or supplementary angles. |
| Types present | There are fewer types of parallelograms as compared to quadrilaterals. | There are more types of the quadrilateral as it is compared to parallelogram. |
| Characteristic | All parallelograms are said to be quadrilaterals. | Not all quadrilaterals cannot be said a parallelograms. |
What is Parallelogram?
A parallelogram is a two-dimensional geometric figure. This shape has four sides to it, along with four corners. Out of these four sides, the opposite sides of a parallelogram have the same length. They not only have the exact contrasting measurements, but opposite sides are parallel to each other too.
When a parallelogram is made to be divided, it can be cut into two triangles. These two triangles will be congruent to each other, and the angles formed alternating the interior angles will always be equal. The sides of the triangles corresponding to each other will also be identical.
The angles of a parallelogram are always supplementary. Supplementary angles are those angles whose measure is always 180 degrees. There are different types of parallelograms: a square, a rectangle, a rhombus, etc.
A laptop, a desk, and a blackboard are different examples of parallelograms in our daily lives.
What is Quadrilateral?
A Quadrilateral is a two-dimensional geometric figure. This shape may or may not have all sides of it equal or parallel to each other. Many kinds of conditions come under the same category. A quadrilateral has four sides to it, along with four corners. The part ‘quad’ in quadrilateral means four.
Many types of shapes come under the quadrilateral category. Eacformpe that comes under the quadrilateral has its functions and properties. The properties and characteristics of the body depend on which kind of quadrilateral they are.
For instance, a parallelogram is a quadrilateral with two sides equal, whereas a square is a quadrilateral with all four equal sides.
The objective measure of all angles of a quadrilateral is always 360 degrees. There are different types of a quadrilateral which are square, rectangle, rhombus, and even parallelogram, for that matter. A table, a desk, and a kite are different examples of quadrilateral in our daily life.
Main Differences Between Parallelogram and Quadrilateral
- A parallelogram is a two-dimensional geometric figure, having its opposite sides equal. On the other hand, a quadrilateral is a two-dimensional geometric figure that may or may not have any of its sides similar.
- In a parallelogram, the opposite sides are always parallel to each other. On the other hand, in a quadrilateral, the opposite side may or may not be similar.
- In a parallelogram, the opposite angles are always equal, always 180 degrees. On the other hand, the opposite angles of a quadrilateral may or may not always be equal.
- There are fewer types of parallelograms compared to quadrilaterals, whereas there are more quadrilaterals compared to parallelograms.
- All parallelograms are said to be quadrilaterals, but all quadrilaterals cannot be said to be parallelograms.
- The opposite side of a parallelogram is always said to be equal, whereas, in the case of a quadrilateral, the opposite sides may or may not be equal.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14794802.2014.933711
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03055698.2011.643106
I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️