PRINCIPIA · THEOREM

Opposite angles of a cyclic quadrilateral are supplementary

Dependencies: Central angle is twice the inscribed angle on the same arc.

Statement

Let quadrilateral ABCDABCD be inscribed in a circle O\odot O (i.e. its four vertices all lie on the circle, ordered around the circle in sequence). Then any pair of opposite angles sums to 180180^\circ:

A+C  =  180,B+D  =  180.\angle A + \angle C \;=\; 180^\circ, \qquad \angle B + \angle D \;=\; 180^\circ.

Equivalently — pick any exterior angle, and the exterior angle = the opposite interior angle (the non-adjacent one). This is the "supplementary opposite angles" theorem for cyclic quadrilaterals, and it is also one of the most-used criteria for determining whether four points are concyclic.

Cyclic quadrilateral ABCD: \angle A + \angle C = 180^\circ.

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