Background image of landing

Unrivalled
Education
Solutions for your
Family

How do you calculate angles in a cyclic quadrilateral?

To calculate angles in a cyclic quadrilateral, we can utilize the property that the opposite angles sum to 180180^\circ.

A cyclic quadrilateral is a four-sided figure in which all vertices lie on the circumference of a circle. One of its fundamental properties is that the sum of each pair of opposite angles is always 180180^\circ. This characteristic is referred to as the supplementary angles property. For instance, in a cyclic quadrilateral labeled as ABCDABCD, the relationships are expressed as follows:

A+C=180andB+D=180.\angle A + \angle C = 180^\circ \quad \text{and} \quad \angle B + \angle D = 180^\circ.

If you need to determine a specific angle, you can apply this property effectively. Suppose you know the measures of three angles in the quadrilateral. You can find the fourth angle by subtracting the measure of the known opposite angle from 180180^\circ. For example, if you are aware of angles AA, BB, and CC, you can calculate angle DD using the formula:

D=180B.\angle D = 180^\circ - \angle B.

Moreover, additional geometric properties and theorems pertaining to circles and triangles can assist in finding unknown angles. For instance, the exterior angle of a cyclic quadrilateral is equal to the measure of the interior opposite angle. This principle can be particularly useful in more complex problems that require multiple steps to ascertain the unknown angles.

Finally, it is crucial to verify that the quadrilateral in question is indeed cyclic before applying these properties, as they do not apply to non-cyclic quadrilaterals.

Answered by: Prof. Michael Lewis
IB Physics Tutor
Medal Icon

100%

Globe Icon

Global

Crest Icon

97%

Professional Tutors

International Tuition

Independent School Entrance Success

All of our elite tutors are full-time professionals, with at least five years of tuition experience and over 5000 accrued teaching hours in their subject.

Based in Cambridge, with operations spanning the globe, we can provide our services to support your family anywhere.

Our families consistently gain offers from at least one of their target schools, including Eton, Harrow, Wellington and Wycombe Abbey.

Medal Icon

100%

Professional Tutors

All of our elite tutors are full-time professionals, with at least five years of tuition experience and over 5000 accrued teaching hours in their subject.

Globe Icon

Global

International Tuition

Based in Cambridge, with operations spanning the globe, we can provide our services to support your family anywhere.

Crest Icon

97%

Independent School Entrance Success

Our families consistently gain offers from at least one of their target schools, including Eton, Harrow, Wellington and Wycombe Abbey.

Book a free
30-minute consultation
session

At the Beyond Tutors we recognise that no two students are the same. 

That’s why we’ve transcended the traditional online tutoring model of cookie-cutter solutions to intricate educational problems. Instead, we devise a bespoke tutoring plan for each individual student, to support you on your path to academic success.

To help us understand your unique educational needs, we provide a free 30-minute consultation with one of our founding partners, so we can devise the tutoring plan that’s right for you.

To ensure we can best prepare for this consultation, we ask you to fill out the short form below.

Hire a Tutor

All the form fields are optional, but we ask you to provide as much information as possible so that we are in a better position to quickly meet your tutoring requirements.

Still have questions?
Let's get in touch