Perimeter of polygon calculator
Perimeter of polygon calculator
To calculate the perimeter of a polygon, you need to add up the lengths of all of its sides. Here’s how you can use a calculator to find the perimeter of a polygon:
- Count the number of sides that the polygon has.
- Measure the length of the first side of the polygon.
- Measure the length of the second side of the polygon.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3 for all of the remaining sides of the polygon.
- Add up the lengths of all the sides of the polygon.
- The result is the perimeter of the polygon.
Alternatively, if you know the coordinates of the vertices of the polygon, you can use the distance formula to find the length of each side, and then add up the lengths of all the sides to find the perimeter of the polygon.
It’s worth noting that for irregular polygons, the calculation of the perimeter can be quite complicated, and may require breaking the polygon down into simpler shapes, such as triangles or trapezoids, in order to calculate the lengths of the sides.
Step-by-step guide for calculating the perimeter of a polygon:
- Identify the number of sides that the polygon has.
- Measure the length of the first side of the polygon.
- Write down the length of the first side.
- Measure the length of the second side of the polygon.
- Write down the length of the second side.
- Continue measuring and writing down the lengths of all of the remaining sides of the polygon.
- Add up all of the lengths that you wrote down in steps 3 to 6.
- The result is the perimeter of the polygon.
Here’s an example to illustrate the process:
Suppose you have a polygon with 5 sides, and the lengths of its sides are as follows:
- Side 1: 4 meters
- Side 2: 6 meters
- Side 3: 3 meters
- Side 4: 7 meters
- Side 5: 5 meters
To find the perimeter of this polygon, you would follow these steps:
- Identify the number of sides: 5.
- Measure the length of the first side: 4 meters.
- Write down the length of the first side: 4 meters.
- Measure the length of the second side: 6 meters.
- Write down the length of the second side: 6 meters.
- Continue measuring and writing down the lengths of all of the remaining sides:
- Side 3: 3 meters
- Side 4: 7 meters
- Side 5: 5 meters
- Add up all of the lengths that you wrote down in steps 3 to 6: 4 + 6 + 3 + 7 + 5 = 25 meters.
- The perimeter of the polygon is 25 meters.