how to find the diagonal of a square

Diagonal of Square

The diagonal of a square is a line segment that joins any two non-adjacent vertices. A square has two diagonals that are equal in length and bisect each other at right angles. The diagonal of square formula is used to calculate the length of the diagonal of a square when its side length is known.

1.	What is the Diagonal of a Square?
2.	What is the Diagonal of Square Formula?
2.	Derivation of Diagonal of Square Formula
3.	Examples Using Diagonal of Square Formula
4.	FAQs on Diagonal of Square Formula

What is the Diagonal of a Square?

A square has two diagonals and each diagonal is formed by joining the opposite vertices of the square. Observe the following square to relate to the properties of the diagonals given below.

The diagonals of a square are equal in length.
They are perpendicular bisectors of each other.
They divide the square into two congruent isosceles right-angled triangles.

Diagonal of square

What is the Diagonal of Square Formula?

The diagonal of a square formula, is d = a√2; where 'd' is the diagonal and 'a' is the side of the square. The formula for the diagonal of a square is derived using the Pythagoras theorem. A diagonal divides a square into two isosceles right-angled triangles. Both the diagonals are congruent and they bisect each other at right angles. Let us understand how to derive the formula to find the diagonal of a square.

Derivation of Diagonal of Square Formula

In a square, the length of both the diagonals is the same. The length of a diagonal, d of a square of side length 'a' is calculated using the Pythagoras theorem. Observe the following square to see that the length of the diagonal is denoted by the letter 'd' and the side length is denoted by 'a'.

Diagonal of Square Formula

Diagonal of a Square Formula

Let us consider the triangle ADC in the square. We know that all the angles in a square are 90°, therefore, using the Pythagoras theorem, we can find the hypotenuse, which is 'd' in this case.

d² = a² + a²

d = √(a² + a²)

d = √(2a²)

d = √2 × √a²

= √2a

Therefore, the diagonal of a square formula is: d = a√2

Topics Related to Diagonal of Square

Square
Pythagoras Theorem
Diagonals

Examples Using Diagonal of Square Formula

Example 1: Find the length of each diagonal of a square with side 14 units.

Solution:

The side length of the square is: a = 14 units.

Using the diagonal of square formula, the length of the diagonal, d is:

d = a√2

d = 14√2 or 19.8 units

Answer: The length of each diagonal of the given square is 19.8 units.
Example 2: The length of the diagonal of a square is 3√2 units. Find the side length of the square.

Solution:

The diagonal of the given square = 3√2 units.

Let us assume the side length of the square to be 'a'

According to the diagonal of square formula, the length of the diagonal, d is:

d = a √2

3√2 = a √2

a = 3

Answer: The side length of the given square = 3 units.
Example 3: Find the length of the diagonal of a square if its area is 36 square units.

Solution:

Area of the square = 36 square units

We know that the area of a square = a² = 36

Therefore, a = 6 units

We know that the diagonal of a square formula is, d = a√2

Therefore, the length of the diagonal = a√2 = 6√2 = 8.49 units

Answer: The length of the diagonal of the square = 8.49 units.

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FAQs on Diagonal of Square Formula

What do you Understand by the Diagonal of Square in Math?

The diagonal of a square is a line segment that joins two non-adjacent vertices. A square has two diagonals that are equal in length and bisect each other at right angles. The properties of the diagonals of a square are as follows:

They are equal in length.
They are perpendicular bisectors of each other.
They divide the square into two congruent isosceles right-angled triangles.

What is the Formula for the Diagonal of a Square?

A square has two diagonals of the same length which can be calculated by using the formula, d = a√2, where 'a' is the side of the square.

How to Calculate the Diagonal of the Square Using the Diagonal Formula?

To calculate the length of the diagonal of a square we use the following steps:

Step 1: Check for the length of the side of the square, a.
Step 2: Place the value of 'a' in the formula for the diagonal of a square, d = a√2.
Step 3: Write the obtained value with the appropriate unit.

How to Derive the Diagonal of a Square Formula?

The diagonal of a square formula can be derived by using the Pythagoras theorem.

Step 1: Draw the diagonals of a square.
Step 2: Two right-angled triangles will be formed. Consider one of the triangles.
Step 3: Two sides of the right triangle will be the same since all the sides of a square are equal.
Step 4: Apply the Pythagoras theorem and calculate the length of the hypotenuse of the triangle which is the diagonal of the square.

Thus, diagonal d = √(a² + a²) = (√2)a = a√2; where 'a' is the side of the square.

What is 'a' in the Diagonal of a Square Formula?

Since a square has four equal sides, therefore, in the diagonal of a square formula, 'a' represents the side of the square. The diagonal of a square formula is thus given as, d = a√2.

Is the Diagonal of Square Equal to its Side?

No, the diagonal of a square is not equal to its side. Since all the angles of a square are equal to 90°, the diagonal of a square becomes the hypotenuse of the triangles formed in the square.