The names of complex polygons are sometimes different from those of simple polygons with the same number of sides.

Complex polygons: The lines intersect more than once.

Simple polygons: The lines connect or intersect only once - at the vertices.

Concave polygons: Have at least one internal angle that is greater than 180°.Īnother way to classify polygons is the way the lines forming the polygon intersect.

Convex polygons : Have no internal angles greater than 180°.

Irregular polygon: Does not have equal-sized angles or sides of equal length.Ī second way to classify polygons is by the size of their internal angles.

Regular polygon: All of the angles are of equal size, and all the sides are equal in length.

Polygons are classified based on whether or not all angles or sides are equal. However, in mathematics, pentagons are sometimes more conveniently referred to as n-gons: So, a 100-sided polygon is referred to as a hectogon.

Polygons with more than 10 sides are encountered infrequently but follow the same Greek naming convention. Square: Sometimes, a four-sided polygon (a square) is referred to as a quadrangle or tetragon.Quadrilateral: Derived from the Latin prefix quadri, meaning four, attached to the word lateral, which is another Latin word meaning side.Trigon is the correct geometrical name but is rarely used. Triangle: Uses the Greek prefix Tri, but instead of the Greek gon , the Latin angle is used.Most notably with words more commonly used for some polygons: There are exceptions to this naming scheme. Hexa (Greek meaning six) + gon = hexagon.Penta (Greek meaning five) + gon = pentagon.The common name for most polygons is the Greek prefix for 'sides' attached to the Greek word for corner (gon).Įxamples of this for five and six-sided regular polygons are:

Polygons have the same number of sides and corners. The names of individual polygons are derived from the number of sides or corners the shape possesses.

Hexagon tech