What is Attribute?
The term “attribute” in the context of math means the traits or the properties of a shape or an object. For example, observe the following picture of books.
In the above image, the traits of the books can be listed as:
- Shape – Rectangle
- Color – Red and Blue
- Page count
- Length & Breadth in a given unit
- Weight
Attributes of a Shape
The attributes of a geometric shape define the characteristics of that shape visually and mathematically. For example, consider a “square” as shown below. The attributes of a square are:
| Visual Attributes | Mathematical Attributes |
| Shape has 4 sides and 4 verticesAll sides are equalOpposite sides are parallel | Each side measures 2 inchesThe angle between any two adjacent sides is 90 degree |
Similarly, based on the attributes, we can determine the type of triangle:
 |  |  |
| Type: Right-angle triangleThe color of the triangle is GreenTwo sides can be equalThe angle between the two sides is 90 degree | Type: Equilateral triangleThe color of the triangle is YellowAll 3 sides are equalThe angle between the two adjacent sides is 60 degrees | Type: Scalene triangleThe color of the triangle is BlueAll 3 sides are unequal One of the angles between the two sides is more than 90 degrees |
The unique attributes or properties of geometric shapes help us to distinguish and categorize them.
Application
The elementary math skills in children initiate with visual observation before understanding numbers and comprehending them. Understanding the attributes of geometric figures, math expressions (such as symbols and operators) and translating them in the form of numbers is the key step achieved with finding “attributes”.
| Fun Facts 1. Astronomers explored and named the famous star constellations after zodiac signs by finding similar attributes between them 2. Computer programming and code writing are logic development skills which use the functions & attributes of a programming language |
Related Math Vocabulary
- Properties of geometric shapes
- Quadrilaterals
- Coordinates