Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 May 22

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May 22

Definition of a rectangle

Some sources, including us and Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd edition), define rectangle simply as a quadrilateral with four right angles. But a square is also a quadrilateral with four right angles. While I find our square's definition precise, such rectangle definition looks too broad and may include square as well. Am I missing something? 212.180.235.46 (talk) 20:57, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Squares are a subset of rectangles. AndyTheGrump (talk) 21:00, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

And by way of a reference (other than the Great Soviet Encyclopedia):

...so a square is a special type of rectangle where the two pairs of opposite sides happen to be of the same length. An oblong is a rectangle that is not a square.

Meeting the Standards in Primary Mathematics (2003)

BTW, we have a dedicated Mathematics Reference Desk where the sages that understand these things can be found. Alansplodge (talk) 21:12, 22 May 2023 (UTC)

Just to blow your mind further, a circle is an ellipse with eccentricity e = 0. Furthermore, both are subsets of conic sections, which when e = ∞ become pairs of parallel lines. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.199.210.77 (talk) 00:14, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

If some buddy of mine points to a square and says "that's a rectangle", I will know that the pedantic fellow is right, but I will still respond, "You are a blockhead". Simplification leads to better understanding for students. Cullen328 (talk) 08:05, 23 May 2023 (UTC)

Agreed, but only if it's done right and does not involve falsification. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} 90.199.210.77 (talk) 13:30, 23 May 2023 (UTC)