What is Perimeter?
The perimeter of a shape is the distance around the outside of the shape.
How to Find the Perimeter
- Identify the lengths of all the sides of the shape.
- Add the side lengths together.
Basic Shapes
Complex Shapes
Perimeter of Regular Polygons
Regular polygons are closed shapes with straight sides that are all the same length. Because all of the sides are the same length, the perimeter of a regular polygon can be calculated with this perimeter formula:
\[P=ns\]
The \(n\) represents the number of sides that the polygon has and the \(s\) represents the side length that all of the sides share.
Examples
Units of Perimeter
Perimeter is a one-dimensional measurement so the units of perimeter will always be single units like \(in\), \(m\), \(cm\), etc.
In contrast, area is measured in squared units like \(in^2\), \(m^2\), and \(cm^2\) because it is a two-dimensional measurement.
Similarly, volume is measured in cubed units like \(in^3\), \(m^3\), and \(cm^3\) because it is a three-dimensional measurement.
