Tetrahedral vs Trigonal Pyramid: Key Geometry Differences Explained
Tetrahedral geometry has four identical vertices equidistant from a central atom (e.g., CH₄), forming perfect 109.5° angles. Trigonal pyramid geometry keeps the same four atoms but one vertex is a lone pair, squashing the remaining three atoms downward into a pyramid with slightly smaller angles. Students see both shapes drawn as four-lobed blobs and assume…