What Is a Square?

The clues that identify a square

A square does not have to sit flat like a window in a picture. Turn it so one corner points up, make it tiny on a page, or draw it very large on a poster. Its size, colour, and position can change while its four equal sides and four right corners stay the same.

You can find squares in familiar places: a floor tile, a sticky note, a chessboard space, or one small block in a quilt. Some objects may look almost square but have a slightly longer side. Checking the sides and corners helps us decide carefully.

Squares are useful building pieces. Four small squares can be arranged to make a larger square, and two equal square pieces can be joined to make a rectangle. Looking at how shapes fit together prepares you for composing and decomposing shapes in class.

A square can also be shared fairly. Draw one line from the middle of the top side to the middle of the bottom side, and the square is divided into two equal parts. Divide it again across the middle, and you have four equal parts called fourths or quarters.

When you name a square, begin with the evidence: count four sides, compare their lengths, and inspect the corners. A picture may be tilted or decorated, but those simple checks still tell you whether the name square fits.

• A square has four straight sides.
• All four sides have the same length.
• A square has four right angles, or square corners.
• A square can be turned, resized, or coloured and still keep its name.

Finding and building squares

• Spot squares in classroom objects, signs, tiles, games, and pictures.
• Build a larger design by joining smaller squares or other shapes.
• Split a square into two halves or four equal shares and describe the parts.

Square checks to remember

• Do not reject a square just because it is tilted or turned.
• Do not call a shape a square only because it has four sides; check the side lengths and corners.
• Do not confuse four unequal-looking sections with four equal shares.