quarter/ fourth

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pinkie9

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You divide a rectangle into four rectangles of the same size and the same shape by drawing a vertical line and a horizontal line. what would you call each of the resulting four rectangles? "A quarter" or "a fourth"?

Also, would it be correct to call each of them "the upper right quarter (fourth)", "the lower left quarter (fourth)", etc.?

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emsr2d2

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I would call them the four quarters and, yes, I would refer to them as the top/bottom/upper/lower left/right quarters.
 

BobK

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I have a feeling that some AE speakers might accept fourth. Wait for them to confirm or refute - it's not my language. ;-) .

And note - as you said and Ems confirmed, though it's not obvious - that the vertical component ('upper'/'lower'/'top'/'bottom') comes before the horizontal one ('left'/'right') - in BE, at least.

b

PS And if it's a circle divided into four equal bits, they're quadrants.
 
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Raymott

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PS And if it's a circle divided into four equal bits, they're quadrants.
And if you divide an isosceles triangle into four equal bits ....?
 

Tdol

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4 ittie bitties? ;-)
 

emsr2d2

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SoothingDave

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I have a feeling that some AE speakers might accept fourth. Wait for them to confirm or refute - it's not my language. ;-) .

And note - as you said and Ems confirmed, though it's not obvious - that the vertical component ('upper'/'lower'/'top'/'bottom') comes before the horizontal one ('left'/'right') - in BE, at least.

b

PS And if it's a circle divided into four equal bits, they're quadrants.

This American would say "quarter" as well.
 

Raymott

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... you need to get a life.

isosceleses.png
No, you get four new equal isosceles triangles - which I'd call the top, the left, the right, and the middle one.
 

Raymott

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Isn't that an equilateral triangle?
I'm not sure. I didn't measure it. An equilateral triangular is simply a special case of an isosceles triangle where all sides are equal. But the same result obtains when you divide an isosceles triangle (where only two sides and angles are equal).

isosceleses.png

Sorry, I don't seem to be able to edit out the following rubbish
 
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