What do complementary angles sum up to?

Complementary angles sum up to 90 degrees, which is the defining characteristic of such angles. This means that when two angles are complementary, the measurement of one angle, when added to the measurement of the other angle, will equal 90 degrees. This principle is foundational in geometry, where the understanding of angles and their relationships is essential.

The concept of complementary angles is often visually represented using right angles, as a right angle itself measures 90 degrees. Therefore, if one angle measures, for example, 30 degrees, its complementary angle would measure 60 degrees, as 30 + 60 = 90.

In contrast, the other options present sums that are not associated with complementary angles: supplementary angles total 180 degrees, a full rotation provides 360 degrees, and the sum of 270 degrees does not correlate with any specific pair of angle relationships in traditional geometric terms. Understanding these definitions helps clarify the relationships between angles and reinforces the basic principles of geometric measurements.