Perimeter is All Around
The perimeter of a shape is the length of its boundary. We add the length of every side to find the perimeter.
Think of the small character below walking all the way around the box shown below. The perimeter is what he walks around to get to back to where he started.
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First side | 4 cm |
| Second side | 3 cm | |
| Third side | 4 cm | |
| Fourth side | 3 cm | |
| Total ( 4 + 3 + 4 + 3)= | 14 cm |
So what is the perimeter of the rectangle (the box) shown above?
It is 4 cm + 3 cm + 4 cm + 3 cm = 14 cm
Hint: Perimeter and area are often taught at the same time and it can be easy to confuse one with the other. Think of a memory prompt to help remember which is which. How about P for perimeter, P for post , Fence posts will go all the way around the perimeter. |
Perimeter of a Rectangle
What do we know about a rectangle?
- It has 4 sides
- the opposite sides are equal so there are 2 sides of length and 2 sides of width
- The perimeter = ( 2 x length) + (2 x width) which is ..
- ..the same as 2 x (length + width)
Here are some examples
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| A quick way to find the perimeter of a rectangles is to add the length and width and then multiply by 2 |
Perimeter of a Square
A square is a type of rectangle so we can use the same method for calculating perimeter although there is an even easier way: since the 4 sides of a square are the same length, we just need to add the length 4 times. e.g. for a square with a side of 5 we have a perimeter of 5 + 5 + 5 + 5. Or, even more quickly, we can take the length and multiply by 4.
| 5 | ||
5 |
Perimeter = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20 or Perimeter = 4 x Length |
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Perimeter of Polygons
You can find out more about different types of polygons here.
The perimeter of a polygon is the sum of the lengths of all its sides. The example below shows an irregular hexagon with a perimeter = 20 cm (3 cm + 3cm + 3cm +3cm + 4cm + 4cm)
A polygon whose sides are equal is called a Regular Polygon. All angles of a Regular Polygon are also equal
To find the perimeter of a regular polygon, multiply the length of the side by the number of sides. |
Shape/ Description |
Perimeter |
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| Pentagon 5 equal-sided polygon |
Perimeter = 5 x length of side |  |
| Hexagon 6 equal-sided polygon |
Perimeter = 6 x length of side |  |
| Heptagon 7 equal-sided polygon |
Perimeter = 7 x length of side |  |
| Octagon 8 equal-sided polygon |
Perimeter = 8 x length of side |  |
Perimeter Worksheets
Use the printable worksheets listed below to practice calculating perimeters.
Perimeter - Rectangles and Squares- Perimeter - Rectangular Shapes
- Perimeter - Rectangular Shapes
- Perimeter e.g. various polygons
You will find other printable geometry worksheets here.