Final answer:
The shape of the methane molecule, CH4, is tetrahedral with H-C-H bond angles of 109.5 degrees and uses wedge and dash notation for three-dimensional representation in diagrams.
Step-by-step explanation:
The shape of the methane molecule, CH4, is called tetrahedral. This three-dimensional shape is characterized by the carbon atom being at the center of the tetrahedron, with four hydrogen atoms at the corners. The H-C-H bond angles in this configuration are 109.5°, which are the angles that a perfect tetrahedron would have. Methane's molecular geometry is not planar; this would only result in 90° bond angles. To visually represent the methane molecule in diagrams, the wedge and dash notation is commonly used, where solid lines indicate bonds on the plane of the page, solid wedges indicate bonds coming out of the page towards the reader and dashed lines indicate bonds going into the plane away from the reader.