Tegelikelt

Tegelikelt is a term used primarily in Swedish geometry to describe shapes or figures that are congruent, meaning they have the same shape and size. The word is derived from the Swedish noun "tegel," which historically refers to a brick, combined with the suffix "-likelt," indicating similarity or likeness. In this sense, the term conveys that two shapes are identical in all dimensions, similar to the English term congruent.

In educational contexts, tegelikelt is often introduced alongside concepts such as similar figures and isometric transformations. Standard examples include two rectangles that share identical side lengths or two triangles that have matching corresponding sides and angles. The concept is basic to many operations in geometry, such as proving the equality of triangles using the Side‑Angle‑Side, Angle‑Side‑Angle, or Side‑Side‑Side criteria.

The term is frequently used in Swedish math curricula from primary through high school, where students are asked to determine whether two given figures are tegelikelt based on measurement data or diagrammatic representation. Because the word directly references congruence, textbooks may also cover the relationship between tegelikelt and the concept of identical transformation, emphasizing that a tegelikelt figure can be obtained from its counterpart by a sequence of translations, rotations, reflections, or glide reflections.

In contemporary use, tegelikelt remains a standard term in geometry references written in Swedish, though in international contexts it may be translated simply as congruent or equal. The consistency of the definition across contexts makes it useful for communicating precise geometric relationships in both classroom and research settings.