Areas of Regular Polygons

Section 11.2
Day 2
Aim-1/25/14
How do we find the
area of an
equilateral triangle?
How do we find the
area of regular
polygons?
Check homework.
Activator
Find the area of an equilateral triangle with
side length 7 cm. Round to the nearest
hundredth.
21.22 cm
2

Theorem:
Area of a Regular Polygon
The area of a regular n-gon with side
length s is half the product of the
apothem a and the perimeter P, so
aP
2
1
A =
Example 1
A regular octagon is
inscribed in a circle with a
radius of 4 units. Find the
area of the octagon.
Draw a picture!

4
45
What is the measure of the
central angle?
360/8 = 45
Example 1 Continued
Lets pull out the triangle and work with it.
4
Draw the apothem (height of triangle).
The apothem cuts the 45 angle in half so
we have an angle that measures 22.5.
22.5

Lets label the points so that it is

easier to work with.
A
B
C D
Example 1 Continued
4
22.5

A
B
C D
4
BD
cos22.5
o
=
o
4cos22.5 BD=
Dont forget, segment BD is the apothem.
4
DC
sin22.5
o
=
o
4sin22.5 DC=
Segment DC is just half of one side of
the original octagon.
So 1 side is 8sin22.5. Thus the perimeter is 64sin22.5.
Almost Done!
Lets recap.
apothem = 4cos22.5.
Perimeter = 64sin22.5.
So plug into the formula A = aP and solve!
A = (4cos22.5)(64sin22.5)
If you are good with parentheses on your calculator
you can enter this in one step. If not break it up into
separate steps.
Remember, no rounding until the end so that you
have an accurate answer!
2
units 45.25 A ~
Example 2
A regular hexagon is inscribed in a circle with a
radius of 4 cm. Find the area of the hexagon.
Draw a picture
4 cm
Example 2 Continued
Lets pull out the triangle.
4 cm 30

The apothem cuts the 60 angle in

half and makes a 30 angle.
Label the points.
S
P R
Q
This is a 30-60-90 triangle.
So SR = 2 cm
QS = cm
3 2
Keep Going!
4 cm 30

S
P R
Q
2 cm
cm 3 2
Apothem = cm 3 2
2 cm is just half of 1 side of
the original hexagon.
So 1 side is 4 cm.
Perimeter = 6(4 cm) = 24 cm
Plug into the formula.
( )( ) 24 3 2
2
1
A =
2
cm 41.57 A ~
Checkpoint 1
A regular nonagon has a side length of 6 in. What is
the area?
Here is a picture to get you started.
6 in
Checkpoint 1 Continued
3 in
The central angle is 40 so when we
draw the apothem we get a 20 angle.
20
A
B
C
D
BD
3
tan20
o
=
3 ) BD(tan20
o
=
o
tan20
3
BD=
So now we know the apothem.
Checkpoint 1 Continued
The perimeter is easy to find since we know that one
side is 6 in.
P = 9(6) = 54 in
So plug everything into the formula
(54)
tan20
3
2
1
A
o
|
.
|

\
|
=
The easiest way to enter this is to first divide 3 by
tan 20. Then multiply that by 54 and finally divide
by 2.
2
in 222.55 A =
Checkpoint 2
A regular pentagon has a radius of 10 cm. Find the
area of the pentagon.
10 cm
10 cm
D C
A
B
10 cm
Checkpoint 2 Continued
Pull out the triangle and label the points.
The central angle is 72, so the altitude bisects
that angle and forms a 36 angle. 36
10
BD
cos36
o
=
) 10(cos36 BD
o
=
So apothem = 10(cos 36)
10
DC
sin36
o
=
) 10(sin36 DC
o
=
Thats just half of one side. So 1 side = 20(sin36). And we multiply
by 5 to get the perimeter. So Perimeter = 100(sin 36).
Keep Going
Lets recap.
Apothem = 10(cos 36)
Perimeter = 100(sin 36)
Plug into the formula
A = (10cos36)(100sin36)
A ~ 237.76 cm
2



Summarizer
Think of another way to calculate the area of a
regular hexagon other than using
A=1/2(apothem)(perimeter).
A hexagon is formed by 6 equilateral triangles
so you can find the area of 1 triangle and just
multiply by 6.