Perimeter

From WikiMD's Wellness Encyclopedia

Perimeter is a term used in mathematics to describe the length of the boundary of a two-dimensional shape. The concept of perimeter can be applied to both regular and irregular shapes, as well as to both polygons and non-polygons. The term comes from the Greek words "peri" meaning around and "metron" meaning measure.

Calculation[edit | edit source]

The method of calculating the perimeter of a shape depends on the type of the shape. For regular polygons, the perimeter can be calculated by multiplying the length of one side by the number of sides. For irregular polygons, the perimeter is the sum of the lengths of all sides. For a circle, the perimeter (also known as the circumference) can be calculated using the formula 2πr, where r is the radius of the circle.

Applications[edit | edit source]

The concept of perimeter has many practical applications in real life. It is used in fields such as architecture, engineering, and land surveying to determine the boundaries of an area. In addition, it is also used in sports to measure the distance around a track or a field.

Related Concepts[edit | edit source]

  • Area: While perimeter measures the length around a shape, area measures the space inside the shape.
  • Circumference: This is a specific type of perimeter that applies to circles.
  • Arc length: This is a measure of the distance along a curve, which can be considered a type of perimeter for curved shapes.

See Also[edit | edit source]

Perimeter Resources
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Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD