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Polygon

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In geometry, a plane (two-dimensional) figure with three or more straight-line sides. Regular polygons have sides of the same length, and all the exterior angles are equal. Common polygons have names that define the number of sides (for example, triangle (3), quadrilateral (4), pentagon (5), hexagon (6), heptagon (7), octagon (8), and so on). These are all convex polygons, having no interior angle greater than 180°.

Sum of internal angles
The sum of the internal angles of a polygon having n sides is given by the formula 180° × (n - 2). For example:

In this case (a hexagon), there are 6 sides. The sum of the interior angles equals:

180° × (n - 2) = 180° × (6 - 2) = 180° × 4 = 720°

Therefore, the more sides a polygon has, the larger the sum of its internal angles and, in the case of a convex polygon, the more closely it approximates to a circle.

See also lines of symmetry.

© Research Machines plc 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines plc.


 
 

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