What happened to 'oblong'?

[Dilbertian]

I was taught that the shape with 4 vertices, 2 long sides and 2 short sides was an oblong.

My dc are being taught that that shape is a rectangle.

I understand that rectangle is commonly used for oblong, but rectangles are shapes that have only right angles, ie squares and oblongs are both rectangles.

Shouldn't our children be taught correct mathematical language? They are being told that they must use 'vertices', not 'corners'. Why the pedantry over this aspect of mathematical language, but not over accurately labelling the shape?

Another here at primary school in the 80s, and it's always been a rectangle for me.

I understand that schools are probably told to use one particular word, but it seems to me that a good teacher would say that an oblong is the same thing as a rectangle, 'although we'll use rectangle here'.
I don't know which I was taught when. It's too long ago.

A quadrilateral with two pairs of opposite sides parallel and equal???

I am a primary teacher. Oblong is correct

Also a square is a rectangle but not all rectangles are squares

@Soubriquet

I thought rectangle was the 2d shape and oblong is 3D shape. That’s what my dc are being taught anyway

That's a bit worrying! The 3D name for a rectangle is a cuboid.

@Soubriquet

I thought rectangle was the 2d shape and oblong is 3D shape. That’s what my dc are being taught anyway

Your DCs' teacher is wrong! Unless oblongs have been redefined at some point over the last 40 years without anyone telling me.

@upinaballoon

A quadrilateral with two pairs of opposite sides parallel and equal???

No, that's not enough.

I teach KS1. We teach oblong as you learned it. A rectangle is a shape with four right angles so could be an oblong or rectangle. I have met a lot of teachers who aren't aware of this though.

Sorry, a rectangle could be an oblong or square

I was taught that the shape with 4 vertices, 2 long sides and 2 short sides was an oblong. - So using that definition a parallelogram is an oblong?!

I taught secondary maths from 1982 to 2008 and never once used the term oblong. The 'rect' in rectangle refers to the right angles at each corner or vertex.

Apparently 'oblong' is to describe the shape.

So oblong is to rectangle
As round is to circle

@rosegoldwatcher

I was taught that the shape with 4 vertices, 2 long sides and 2 short sides was an oblong. - So using that definition a parallelogram is an oblong?!

I taught secondary maths from 1982 to 2008 and never once used the term oblong. The 'rect' in rectangle refers to the right angles at each corner or vertex.

No. I was taught that in infants. We're were taught more precise definitions later on in primary.

At secondary I , like other posters, was told that oblong and rectangle meant the same and were interchangeable.

I don't remember when I learned that rectangle simply meant a shape with only right angles.

@VerveClique

Apparently 'oblong' is to describe the shape.

So oblong is to rectangle
As round is to circle

Ah, now that makes sense. Like an oval is oblate.

I love the word oblong. Used it just the other day to describe an oblong.

I’ve always used rectangles and oblongs as interchangeable (junior school in 70s), and squares and rectangles as different.

Ie. Oblong = rectangle

@Galvantula

We didn't really have oblongs up in Scotland much. It's the sort of thing I heard on Blue Peter, so I hadn't realised it was dying out

I was at primary in the 70s in Scotland and it was definitely oblong. I think by the time I was doing Maths O Grade in the 80s it had morphed into rectangle.

@FindmeuptheFarawaytree a pyramid isn't prismatic. A prism is any 3D shape that has a constant cross section along at least one axis.

@VerveClique

Apparently 'oblong' is to describe the shape.

So oblong is to rectangle
As round is to circle

Yes, this. Oblong, whilst used more widely as a noun in the past, is more commonly used as an adjective now.

I’ve got amenity of my GCSE maths teacher coming back from a maths teacher conference and telling us that oblongs were now rectangles. This would be in about 1987. Such an odd thing to remember!

@VerveClique

Apparently 'oblong' is to describe the shape.

So oblong is to rectangle
As round is to circle

Yes, this is correct.

A memory!

@Polyanthus2

When did oblique become forward slash - I know which one I prefer

I say forward stroke - slash is too "drunk men stumbling home from the pub" for my liking.

@Galvantula

We didn't really have oblongs up in Scotland much. It's the sort of thing I heard on Blue Peter, so I hadn't realised it was dying out

Agree. I always assumed Oblong was another weird English thing when I moved down here. Like Father Christmas and walkers crisps. Never heard of them.