Construction of Lines and Angles
Construction of lines and angles in mathematics is an important topic. In this article, you will be able to learn the constructions of different types of lines and angles. All types of angles can be constructed using a protractor. Only a few standard angles such as 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, etc. can be constructed using a pair of compasses.
Let us learn how to construct parallel lines and perpendicular lines. After that, we will learn constructing standard angles using a pair of compasses.
Construction of a Perpendicular to a Given Line
Segment
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a line segment AB and take any
point C on it.
2.
Put a pair of compasses at point C and
draw arcs cutting AB at P and Q.
3.
Again open the pair of compasses at a
convenient radius and draw two arcs
with centers P and Q and intersecting each
other at R.
4.
Join CR.
CR is the
required perpendicular to AB at C.
Construction
of a Perpendicular to a Given Line Segment from a Point Outside the Line
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a line segment AB and take a
point O anywhere outside the line segment AB.
2.
Put a pair of compasses at point O.
Open the pair of compasses and draw an arc in such a way that AB is intersected
at two points C and D.
3.
Again, with C and D as centers, draw
two arcs (keeping the same radius) intersecting each other at E. Join O to E.
OE is the
required perpendicular to AB.
Construction of Perpendicular Bisector to a Given
Line Segment
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a line segment AB on a sheet of
paper.
2.
Open a pair of compasses to a little
more than half of the length of AB and with A as the center, draw two arcs
above and below AB.
3.
Keeping the same radius, place the
pair of compasses at B and draw two arcs above and below AB. Let the arcs cut
the previous arcs at P and Q.
4.
Join P and Q intersecting AB at O.
PQ is the
required perpendicular bisector of the line segment AB.
Construction
of a Line Parallel to a Given Line at a Given Distance
Example:
Draw a line parallel to a given line at a distance of 4.5 cm.
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a line l on a sheet of
paper. Take any point L on line l.
2.
Draw a line m perpendicular to l
from point L. Cut off LM = 4.5 cm.
3.
At the point M, draw MP perpendicular
to line m.
MP is the
required line parallel to l at a distance of 4.5 cm.
Construction
of an Angle Equal to a Given Angle
Example:
Construct ∠TLM
equal to ∠ABC.
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a ray LM.
2.
With B as the center, draw an arc with
any convenient radius touching BC at P and BA at Q respectively.
3.
With L as the center and keeping the
same radius, draw an arc intersecting the ray LM at N.
4.
With P as the center, draw an arc
which meets BA at Q.
5.
With N as the center and radius equal
to PQ, draw an arc intersecting the arc in step 3 at S. Join LS and produce it
to T.
∠TLM is the required angle equal to ∠ABC.
Construction
of a Bisector of a Given Angle
Example:
Construct the bisector of ∠ABC.
Steps
of Construction
1. Draw
an ∠ABC
of any measurement.
2.
With B as the center and any
convenient radius draw an arc intersecting the two arms of the angle at D and E
respectively.
3.
With centers D and E and radius equal
to more than DE, draw two arcs intersecting each other at point O. Join BO and
produce it to F.
BF is the bisector of ∠ABC.
Construction of an
Angle of 60°
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a ray OA.
2.
With O as the center and any
convenient radius, draw an arc cutting OA at C.
3.
With C as the center and keeping the
same radius, draw an arc cutting the previous arc at D. Join OD and produce it
to B.
∠AOB is the required angle of 60°.
Construction
of an Angle of 120°
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a ray OB.
2.
With O as the center and any
convenient radius, draw an arc cutting the ray OB at P.
3.
With P as the center and keeping the
same radius, draw an arc to cut the above arc at Q.
4.
With Q as the center and keeping the
same radius, draw an arc to cut the arc at R.
5.
Join OR and produce it to A.
∠AOB is the required angle of 120°.
Construction of an
Angle of 90°
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a ray OA.
2.
Put the pair of compasses at point O.
Take any suitable radius and draw an arc which cuts OA at point C.
3.
With point C as the center and the
same radius, mark an arc and name it as D. Again put the pair of compasses at D
and with the same radius, draw an arc which intersects the initial arc at E.
4.
Put the pair of compasses at E and
draw an arc with a convenient radius. Repeat the process by putting the pair of
compasses at D and let the two arcs intersect at B. Join OB.
∠BOA is the required angle of 90°.
Construction of an Angle of 45°
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw an angle ∠AOB
= 90° as described above.
2.
Bisect ∠AOB using the
steps of constructing an angle bisector.
Hence, ∠AOF is the
required angle of 45°.
Construction
of an Angle of 135°
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw a straight line l and take
a point O on it.
2.
Construct ∠BOA
= 90° as explained above. Bisect ∠GOB.
∠AOH
is the required angle of 135°.
Construction
of a Tangent
Example:
Construct a tangent to a circle of radius 2.5 cm at a point A.
Steps
of Construction
1.
By taking O as the center and radius
equal to 2.5 cm, draw a circle.
2.
Mark a point A on the circle and join
OA to get the radius.
3.
Draw a perpendicular line l at
point A and mark a point B on it.
AB is the
required tangent.
Circumcircle
of a Triangle
Example:
Construct a circumcircle of an equilateral triangle PQR.
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw an equilateral triangle PQR.
2.
Draw perpendicular bisectors AB and CD
of sides PQ and QR respectively.
3.
Let AB and CD intersect at O.
4.
Taking O as center and radius OQ, draw
a circle which passes through P, Q and R.
This is the required circumcircle.
Incircle
of a Triangle
Example:
Construct an incircle of an isosceles triangle ABC.
Steps
of Construction
1.
Draw an isosceles triangle ABC.
2.
Draw the angle bisectors of ∠A
and ∠B
and name them AY and BQ respectively.
3.
Let AY and BQ intersect at O.
4.
Draw a perpendicular ON on BC and with
O as center and radius equal to ON, draw a circle which touches all the sides
of the triangle ABC.
This is the required incircle.
