Complementary Angles Definition

noun
  • geometry
    a pair of angles whose measures add up to 90 degrees.

Explanation

Complementary angles are a pair of angles whose measures add up to 90 degrees. When two angles are complementary, each angle is said to be the complement of the other. For example, if one angle measures 30 degrees, its complement would be an angle measuring 60 degrees, because 30 + 60 equals 90.

Complementary angle annotated

Related Terms

An angle is the figure formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint called the vertex. Its size, measured in degrees or radians, is the amount of rotation needed to align one ray with the other.

Supplementary angles are a pair of angles that add up to 180 degrees. When two angles are supplementary, each angle is said to be the supplement of the other.