The sum of the interior angles of any triangle equals
As it turns out, there is a general rule for the sum of the interior angles that applies to all polygons:
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon with sides equals
For example, every triangle has sides. Let's substitute into the formula to check that it works:
So, the formula tells us that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle equals which we know is correct.
Let's see some more examples.
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon with sides equals
Every quadrilateral has sides. Applying the formula, we get
So, the formula tells us that the sum of the interior angles of a quadrilateral equals
Which of the following could be the interior angles of a quadrilateral?
- , , ,
- , , ,
- , , ,
A quadrilateral has sides. Therefore, the sum of the interior angles of a quadrilateral must be
Let's check this for the above three options:
Therefore, only options I and II could be the angles of a quadrilateral.
Which of the following could be the interior angles of a quadrilateral?
- $64^{\circ}$, $73^{\circ}$, $98^{\circ}$, $124^{\circ}$
- $73^{\circ}$, $112^{\circ}$, $93^{\circ}$, $82^{\circ}$
- $80^{\circ}$, $140^{\circ}$, $49^{\circ}$, $84^{\circ}$
a
|
II only |
b
|
I and II only |
c
|
II and III only |
d
|
I and III only |
e
|
I only |
Which of the following could be the interior angles of a quadrilateral?
- $85^{\circ}$, $115^{\circ}$, $79^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$
- $59^{\circ}$, $161^{\circ}$, $90^{\circ}$, $40^{\circ}$
- $80^{\circ}$, $141^{\circ}$, $39^{\circ}$, $100^{\circ}$
a
|
III only |
b
|
II only |
c
|
I and III only |
d
|
II and III only |
e
|
I only |
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon with sides equals
Every pentagon has sides. Applying the formula, we get
So, the formula tells us that the sum of the interior angles of a pentagon equals
We can use the same formula to deduce the sum of the interior angles of hexagons, heptagons, octagons, and so forth.
Given the pentagon shown below, find the value of
A pentagon has sides. Therefore, the sum of the interior angles of a pentagon must be
Adding up the internal angles and solving for we get
Find $m\angle C$ In the quadrilateral $ABCD$ above.
a
|
$95^\circ$ |
b
|
$125^\circ$ |
c
|
$110^\circ$ |
d
|
$105^\circ$ |
e
|
$115^\circ$ |
In the quadrilateral $ABCD$ above, determine the measure of $\angle C.$
a
|
$63^\circ$ |
b
|
$34^\circ$ |
c
|
$75^\circ$ |
d
|
$68^\circ$ |
e
|
$81^\circ$ |
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is How many sides does it have?
Remember that the sum of the interior angles of a polygon with sides is
To find the number of sides in our polygon, we start by setting up the following equation:
Now, we solve for as follows:
Therefore, the polygon has sides (it is a hexagon).
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is $900^\circ.$ How many sides does it have?
a
|
$9$ |
b
|
$8$ |
c
|
$5$ |
d
|
$7$ |
e
|
$6$ |
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon is $4140^\circ.$ How many sides does it have?
a
|
$15$ |
b
|
$27$ |
c
|
$18$ |
d
|
$20$ |
e
|
$25$ |
We've made use of the following theorem throughout this lesson.
The sum of the interior angles of a polygon with sides equals
This formula works because any -sided polygon can be split into triangles using diagonals that meet at one fixed vertex of the polygon.
Let's illustrate this for a few different polygons.
The sum of the interior angles of each polygon is the same as the sum of the interior angles of the corresponding triangles.
Each triangle has interior angles that sum to and any -sided polygon can be split into triangles in the manner shown above. Therefore, the sum of the interior angles in an -sided polygon is