The other aspect related to the arch shape is the bridle system. It is easy to imagine that this can lead to bigger power capabilities in flat kites on one hand, and better side stability, steering responsiveness and drifting control in more C-shape kites on the other hand. The main point we need to pay attention to here is that the arch shape determines how much of the canopy in the kite generates the uplift and how much of it keeps the stability in the lateral directions:Īs we see in the flatter the kite shapes, the bigger component of the wind action goes to the uplift, while in steeper arch shapes the component of forces that pushes sideways gets important, playing a more influential role in the lateral stability. Nowadays we also have Delta shaped kites, where the trailing edge has been made straight giving a Greek Delta letter resemblance. Flat arched kites sometimes were called Bow kites, especially at the beginning of their introduction, because of the curved shape of the leading edge and the trailing edge, which made them appear as bow-shaped from the perspective of the rider. There are different arch shapes, from steep arch, also called C-kites, to flat arch. The three main parameters about a kite shape, which influence its performance are: Let’s try to simplify how different shapes influence the power kite behavior, to have a smart and reasoned way to choose our kitesurfing gear. The result is that there are so many types of kites out there that for beginners it can be really difficult to choose a suitable one to start with.Įven more advanced riders might end up using the wrong type of kite for the discipline they want to practice or their riding style. So all other quadrilaterals are irregular.Being kitesurfing one of the fastest-growing sports, kitesurf producers have been challenging each other on the market with more and more innovation and possible product choices. The only regular (all sides equal and all angles equal) quadrilateral is a square. and that's it for the special quadrilaterals. one of the diagonals bisects (cuts equally in half) the other.the diagonals, shown as dashed lines above, meet at.The KiteĮach pair is made of two equal-length sides that join up.

(the US and UK definitions are swapped over!)Īn Isosceles trapezoid, as shown above, has left and right sides of equal length that join to the base at equal angles. NOTE: Squares, Rectangles and Rhombuses are allĪ trapezoid (called a trapezium in the UK) has a pair of opposite sides parallel.Īnd a trapezium (called a trapezoid in the UK) is a quadrilateral with NO parallel sides: Also opposite anglesĪre equal (angles 'A' are the same, and angles 'B' The ParallelogramĪ parallelogram has opposite sides parallel and equal in length. In other words they 'bisect' (cut in half) each other at right angles.Ī rhombus is sometimes called a rhomb or a diamond. The RhombusĪ rhombus is a four-sided shape where all sides have equal length (marked 's').Īlso opposite sides are parallel and opposite angles are equal.Īnother interesting thing is that the diagonals (dashed lines) meet in the middle at a right angle. The SquareĪ square has equal sides (marked 's') and every angle is a right angle (90°)Ī square also fits the definition of a rectangle (all angles are 90°), and a rhombus (all sides are equal length). The little squares in each corner mean 'right angle'Ī rectangle is a four-sided shape where every angle is a right angle (90°).Īlso opposite sides are parallel and of equal length. Let us look at each type in turn: The Rectangle Some types are also included in the definition of other types! For example a square, rhombus and rectangle are also parallelograms. There are special types of quadrilateral: They should add to 360° Types of Quadrilaterals Try drawing a quadrilateral, and measure the angles. interior angles that add to 360 degrees:.(Also see this on Interactive Quadrilaterals) Properties

Kite shape