Do you want to draw a polygon with many sides? Polygons are flat figures delimited by closed broken lines. There are several types of polygon, but they all have edges (or sides) and vertices (or corners).
Steps
Step 1. Get an idea of the polygon you want to draw
There are several types. They are usually classified by the number of sides that compose them. For example, a pentagon has five sides, a hexagon six, and an octagon eight. When the number of sides is not determined, the polygon is said to have "n" sides. There is no limit to the number of sides a polygon can have, which can be simple, when its sides do not intersect, or complex (like the starry one), when they intersect.
Step 2. Decide if you want or need to construct a regular polygon
A regular polygon has all corners of the same width and all sides of the same length. While many people's idea of it is limited to this, not all polygons are regular. Regular polygons are the most challenging to draw.
Method 1 of 3: Easily Draw an Elementary Polygon
Step 1. Make your work easier if you want
To be such, a polygon does not necessarily have to be regular. If you want to simplify the drawing process, use a ruler and a pencil, and draw several segments that meet to form a closed figure. In itself, this is already a polygon!
Although many people think of regular polygons when they hear the words "hexagon", "octagon", etc., those terms do not actually always mean that the polygon is regular. A "hex" only needs to have six sides; a "regular hex" must have six sides of the same length, with angles of the same width
Step 2. Always close the figure
Whether you decide to make a simple polygon or a starry one, the segments must form a complete path, meaning there must be no opening on either side. Make it closed and draw all the straight lines, and you are good to go!
Step 3. Have fun with the calculations if you like
If you want to know more about your polygon, you can go one step further: calculate its permimeter or area.
Method 2 of 3: Draw a Regular Polygon
Step 1. Understand what makes a polygon "regular"
In a regular polygon all sides and angles are equal. The easiest regular polygons to identify are perhaps the equilateral triangles (with three sides of the same length and internal angles of 60 degrees each) and the square (with four sides of the same length and internal angles of 90 degrees each). However, you can make regular polygons much more complicated than these!
Step 2. Decide what kind of regular polygon you want to draw
In drawing a regular polygon (or one of any kind, for that matter), you are presented with many choices. For instance:
- You can draw a regular polygon using a circle.
- You can draw a square.
- You can draw a regular pentagon, with five sides and equal angles.
- You can draw a regular hexagon, with six sides and equal angles.
- You can draw a regular octagon, with six sides and equal angles.
- You can draw a polygon with as many sides and angles as you like!
Method 3 of 3: Draw a Polygon (Regular) Using a Protractor
Step 1. Draw a circle on the paper following the protractor
If you have a protractor consisting of a semicircle, you need to start by superimposing it on a line and marking the middle and each end with points. Then trace the outline of the protractor to form a semicircle, then rotate it (making the points in the center and ends on the other side coincide) and trace the outline again.
Step 2. Determine how many angles and sides you want
Step 3. Calculate the central angle formed by the lines that depart from the center towards the vertices of the polygon
The amplitude of the angles contained in a circle is 360 degrees overall; so all you have to do is divide 360 by the number of sides, which corresponds to the number of vertices. This value will be the measure of the angle between each line drawn from the center of the circumference to each corner of the polygon.
For example, if you are drawing a hexagon, this value will be 60 degrees
Step 4. Use a protractor to draw points on the circumference, measuring each of these angles
In other words, you should pick a starting point and then continue along the circumference, plotting a point for each subsequent degree measurement.
For example, if you are trying to draw a hexagon, you will choose where to draw the first point; then you will draw the next point after 60 degrees, and so on, until you have drawn all six of them
Step 5. Join each point with a straight line
For this you will need a ruler, and make sure the lines don't overlap. A good idea is to draw them lightly, so that you can erase any mistakes or overlaps.
Step 6. Erase the circle and the lines starting from the center
And you are done! If you want to make sure your polygon is regular, check again that all broken lines are the same length.
