If you’re interested in discovering some of the key features of polygons, continue reading to discover a simple, clear guide to understanding polygons.
What is a polygon?
A polygon is a two dimensional shape, which is comprised of straight lines. Any two dimensional shape which is curved such as a circle is not referred to as a polygon. Other examples of shapes which are not polygons include open shapes, which are not fully enclosed as well as three dimensional shapes such as a cube, a sphere or a pyramid.
What are the differences between regular polygons and irregular polygons:
A polygon with all sides and angles and congruent is classed as a regular polygon while a polygon which features sides of varying lengths and angles is referred to as an irregular polygon.
An example of a regular polygon is an equilateral triangle which is comprised of three sides which are equal in length as well as equal interior angles which each add up to 60 degrees. While a common example of a irregular polygon is a scalene triangle which features three sides of varying lengths and which has interior angles of varying different sizes.
What is a concave polygon?
A concave polygon is a polygon which features at least one angle which is at least 180 degrees.
What is a convex polygon?
Unlike a concave polygon a convex polygon will not have a single interior angle which is larger than 180 degrees.
What is a complex polygon?
If you’ve never come across the term complex polygon, a complex polygon is a polygon which has a line which crosses another line.
What are some common examples of polygons:
One of the most common types of polygon are quadrangles. Quadrangles all have four sides and include simples squares and rectangles as well as rhombuses. Furthermore every quadrangle polygon has interior angles which add up to 360 degrees. Quadrangles can also be referred to as parallelograms. Parallelograms feature opposite sides which are always equal in length.
Triangles are another example of a polygon. There are three different types of polygons, equilateral triangles feature three sides of equal lengths, isosceles triangles feature two even sides and one uneven side and feature two, not three equal angles. Finally scalene triangles boast three sides which are all different in length.
Other examples of polygons which you may come across in everyday life include pentagons, hexagons and octagons. Pentagons have five sides, hexagons have six sides and octagons have eight sides.
How to accurately calculate the area of a quadrangle:
To effortlessly figure out the area of a quadrangle, such as a square or a rectangular, multiple the length of your chosen polygon with the vertical height of your quadrangle. Working out the area of a quadrangle couldn’t be easier.
How to calculate the area of other types of polygons;
If you’d like to figure out the area of a polygon which isn’t a quadrangle, you’ll need to split up your polygon into equal triangles before using an algebaric equation to find your answer.
Hopefully, you’re now feeling more confident about your knowledge of a wide variety of polygons.
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