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?

I also thought oblong was what young children called rectangles when I was at school in the 80's, did it go out of fashion as a word?

Y6 teacher.

A square is a rhombus that is also a rectangle.
And a rectangle is also a parallelogram.

Because properties of shapes overlap with their criteria.
All are quadrilaterals - 4 sides.

A parallelogram has 2 sets of opposite parallel lines.

A Rhombus has the same, but 4 equal sides.

Rectangles have 2 pairs of parallel lines, and 4 right angles.

Squares have the parallel lines that are equal in length and have 4 right angles.

Diamond as a shape name has pretty much disappeared from KS2 and up.

Cuboid to me. Rectangle is 2-D.

Rectangular prism is like a pyramid with a rectangular face on the bottom, triangular prism has a triangle face on the bottom. 3d rectangle is a (rectangular) cuboid, 3d square is a cube. In the early 90s I was taught rectangle but never oblong.

No no noooooo

A pyramid with a rectangular face on the bottom would be called a rectangular based pyramid. Same for square based pyramids etc

Anything named prism has a constant cross section. Triangular prism is like a toblerone package. Rectangular prism is actually just a cuboid.

I love oblongs. I just looked it up in an online dictionary and it apparently comes from the Latin 'oblongus' meaning ' longish'

How about trapezium, tetrahedron?

Something that is oblong has been stretched, and something that is oblate has been squashed.

Only the denizens of Pedants' Corner can understand how happy this makes me.

@eddiemairswife

How about trapezium, tetrahedron?

What about them?

Huh, I’ve never used oblique for / — I tend to call it a solidus if discussing it in an editorial context. Is that weirdly archaic? (I do also use slash in ‘normal’ conversation)

As a child educated in Scotland in the 70s i was taught that it was an oblong, i still use oblong and never use rectangle.

I was taught oblong, but I liked squashed square.....

So where does a parallelogram fit into all this? Shame there's no drawing function!

I used the word oblong in a lesson on Friday. It was obvious that none of the students understood what I was talking about. BTW a prism such as a square based pyramid with the top cut off is deemed to be truncated. Oh the joys of teaching A'level technical drawing back in the day. circumscibing circles usually made students titter. An oval is correctly termed as an ellipse.

I have always taught oblong as a teacher. Whilst rectangle is not incorrect, a square is also a rectangle so by teaching oblong it makes it simpler. We were taught about oblongs on my PGCE in the late 90's.

I have had many discussions on why I teach oblong and had to get a dictionary when being shouted at as an NQT by a rather unpleasant TA.

So oblong isn’t a straight sided oval?

I had no idea that an oblong was a rectangle, I’m nearly 50 and went to a grammar school

I only ever learned rectangle (born 1960s in Ireland and went all the way through school there).

Vertex (pl vertices) is the correct term for the intersection point of two lines. It's the term children will use as they delve further into geometry.

Imo it's only right that correct mathematical terms should be used and gradually privileged in mathematics class.

Oblongs are rectangles but so are squares. But squares are not oblongs. Squares and oblongs are both members of the family Rectangle.

The defining element of rectangles is the right angles, not the length of sides.

@LemonJuiceFromConcentrate

Huh, I’ve never used oblique for / — I tend to call it a solidus if discussing it in an editorial context. Is that weirdly archaic? (I do also use slash in ‘normal’ conversation)

Solidus - now that takes me back!

What about #? I'm sure it wasn't called hash in the 20th century. What's the original name? Numero?

@elephantoverthehill

I used the word oblong in a lesson on Friday. It was obvious that none of the students understood what I was talking about. BTW a prism such as a square based pyramid with the top cut off is deemed to be truncated. Oh the joys of teaching A'level technical drawing back in the day. circumscibing circles usually made students titter. An oval is correctly termed as an ellipse.

In my head oval and ellipse are

…slightly different

No idea what happened there 🤣

Now off to Google if what is in my brain has any basis in reality.

I did oblongs in the 90s.

Primary school in late 80s here. I always thought an oblong was the same as a rectangle.

Did I read someone say ovals are now being taught as ellipse now. Are ovals about to disappear?

I started primary school 1979 so would have learnt about shapes 1981-3ish.......... "oblong" was already becoming an obsolete word then. I specifically remember being told yes oblong is a word but call them rectangles.

I was putting my 2D shapes away today and was wondering why they were no longer called oblongs?

I believe an oval is the same 'top' and 'bottom' so a regular shape but an ellipse is narrower at the top like an actual egg.