What is Perimeter?

- Definition & Formula

Contributors: Danielle Wilson, Jennifer Beddoe, Kathryn Boddie

What is perimeter? Learn the perimeter definition in math and geometry, and learn how to calculate the
perimeter of different shapes, with examples.

Table of Contents

 What is Perimeter?

 Finding the Perimeter

 Perimeter of an Equilateral Triangle

 Perimeter of a Square
 Show more

What is Perimeter?
In geometry, the perimeter definition states that perimeter is the measure of the distance or
path around a two-dimensional geometric shape, particularly polygons. Polygons are closed,
two-dimensional shapes with at least three straight sides and three angles. Circles are not
considered to be polygons, therefore we do not refer to the distance around the circle as a
perimeter. Rather, the distance around a circle is called the circumference of the circle.

Perimeter and circumference measure the distance around a polygon and circle, respectively.

Both the perimeter and circumference are measured in linear units. This includes U.S.
customary units (inches, feet, etc.) and metric units (meters, kilometers, etc.)

The word perimeter is derived from the Greek word perimetros, where peri- means "around" and
-metros means "distance". The perimeter is the distance around a geometric shape.

Finding the Perimeter

Polygons are classified as regular polygons or irregular polygons. Regular polygons are
equilateral and equiangular. This means that all the sides are the same length, and all of the
angles are of equal measure. An example of a regular polygon is a square. A square is
composed of four congruent sides and four right (90 degrees) angles. Congruent means same
size and same shape.

To find the perimeter of a regular polygon, the following formula can be used.

Perimeter = n × a

Where n is the number of sides of the regular polygon, and a is the measure of one of the sides
of the regular polygon.

An irregular polygon is simply described as any polygon that is not regular, meaning that it is a
polygon that is either not equilateral or it is not equiangular. For example, all polygons with
concave sides are considered to be irregular, because the interior angles are all unequal.
To find the perimeter of an irregular polygon, the universal formula for finding the perimeter of
any polygon (regular or irregular) can be used.

The universal perimeter formula for a polygon with N sides is:

Perimeter = s1 + s2 + s3 + ⋯ + sN

Where si is the length of the ith side of the polygon. In other words, the universal formula for
calculating the perimeter of an N -sided polygon is calculated by adding up all of the side
lengths of the polygon.

For example, consider the polygon shown.

This is an irregular, concave, L-shaped polygon. You can use the universal perimeter formula to find
the perimeter.

To find the perimeter of the L-shaped, irregular, concave polygon, we calculate the sum of the
measures of each side.

12 + 10 + 8 + 5 + 3 + 2 = 40

The perimeter of the L-shaped irregular, concave polygon is 40 units.

Perimeter of an Equilateral Triangle

An equilateral triangle is a type of regular polygon that has three congruent sides and three
congruent angles.

Formula
To find the perimeter of an equilateral triangle, we multiply the length of one side, s, by 3, or the
total number of sides of a triangle.
 Perimeter = 3 × s

Example

Equilateral triangles have congruent sides and congruent angles.

The length of each side of the equilateral triangle is 7 units. The perimeter is found by
multiplying 3 by 7 units.

Perimeter = 3 × 7 = 21

Therefore, the perimeter of this equilateral triangle is 21 units.

Perimeter of a Square
A square is a type of regular polygon that is both equilateral and equiangular. All squares are
quadrilaterals since they have four sides. Additionally, all of the angles of a square are right
angles, meaning they each have a measure of 90 degrees.

Formula
To find the perimeter of a square, multiply the length of one side, s, by 4, or the total number of
sides of a square.

Perimeter = 4 × s

Example
 Squares are quadrilaterals with 4 congruent sides and 4 right angles.

The length of each side of the square shown in the image is 5 units. The perimeter is found by
multiplying 4 by 5 units.

Perimeter = 4 × 5 = 20

Therefore, the perimeter of this square is 20 units.

Perimeter of a Rectangle
A rectangle is defined as an equiangular quadrilateral composed of four right angles, such that
opposite sides of the shape are parallel and congruent. By definition, a square is a type of
rectangle. However, not all rectangles are equilateral. Some rectangles are considered irregular
polygons by having two sets of congruent opposite sides called the length and the width of the
rectangle.

Formula
To find the perimeter of a rectangle, add the measure of the length of the rectangle, l, to the
width, w. After this, multiply the resulting sum by 2. These calculations can be summarized in
the formula for the perimeter of a rectangle.

Perimeter = 2 (l + w)

Example
 A rectangle is a quadrilateral with four right angles. Some rectangles are irregular polygons.

The measure of the length of the rectangle is 12 units. The measure of the width of the
rectangle is 15 units. The perimeter is found by first adding 12 units and 15 units, and then
multiplying the sum by 2.

Perimeter = 2(12 + 15)

= 2(27)

= 54

Therefore, the perimeter of this rectangle is 54 units.

Circumference of a Circle
A circle is a type of geometric shape that is created by one curved line. The center of a circle is
equidistant, or the same distance, from any point on the circle's outline. The distance from any
point on the circle to the center of the circle is called radius.

The following formula is used to find the circumference of a circle:

Circumference = 2πr

Where r is the circle's radius.

A circle has a radius, or a distance from the center to a point on the circle. The radius is used to
calculate the circumference.

This circle has a radius of 8 units. We can use the circumference formula to find the
circumference of the circle.
 Circumference = 2πr

= 2π(8)

≈ 50.27

Therefore, the circumference of the circle is approximately 50.27 units.

Lesson Summary
This lesson covers how to find the perimeter of polygons and the circumference of a circle.
Some of the main points covered are as follows:

Perimeter is the measure of the outline or path around a two-dimensional geometric shape.

Circumference is the measure of the single curved outline, or path, around a circle.

The value of the perimeter is expressed in linear units.

Polygons can be classified as either regular polygons or irregular polygons.

Regular polygons are both equilateral and equiangular.

All concave polygons are considered irregular.

Rectangles with two sets of congruent, opposite sides are irregular polygons.

The universal formula for finding perimeter can be used to find the perimeter of any polygon,
regular or irregular, by adding up all the individual sides of the polygon.

This lesson covered the following vocabulary words:

Perimeter: The measure of the distance or path around a two-dimensional geometric shape,
particularly a polygon.

Polygons: A closed two-dimensional shape with at least three straight sides and angles.

Circumference: The measure of the distance around a circle.

Equilateral Polygon: A polygon in which the measure of the length of all the sides of the polygon
are the same.

Equiangular Polygon: A polygon in which the measure of the length of all the angles of the polygon
are the same.

Regular Polygons: Polygons that are both equilateral and equiangular.

Congruent Geometric Objects: Geometric objects that have the exact same size and shape.

Equilateral Triangle: A type of regular polygon that has three equilateral sides and three
equiangular angles.

Square: A type of regular polygon that is both equilateral and equiangular.

Quadrilateral: A four-sided polygon.

Rectangle: An equiangular quadrilateral composed of four right angles, in which opposite sides are
parallel and congruent.

Video Transcript
Definition
The word perimeter means a path that surrounds an area. It comes from the Greek word 'peri,'
meaning around, and 'metron,' which means measure. Its first recorded usage was during the
15th century. In mathematics, the perimeter refers to the total length of the sides or edges of a
polygon, a two-dimensional figure with angles. When describing the measurement around a
circle, we use the word circumference, which is simply the perimeter of a circle.

There are many practical applications for finding the perimeter of an object. Knowing how to
find the perimeter is useful for finding the length of fence needed to surround a yard or garden,
or the amount of decorative border to buy to cover the top edges of a room's walls. Also,
knowing the perimeter, or circumference, of a wheel will let you know how far it will roll through
one revolution.

Perimeter Formulas: Some Terms

The basic formula for finding the perimeter is just to add the lengths of all the sides together.
However, there are some specialized formulas that can make it easier, depending on the shape
of the figure. Before we begin, let's define some abbreviations, or variables, we'll be using in our
formulas.

We'll represent the perimeter, the value we're trying to find, with a capital P. For a shape that
has all of its sides the same length, we'll use an s to represent a side. We can also use s with a
number after it to represent sides of shapes that have more or less than four sides, which may
be the same or different lengths. We can write these variables like this: s1, s2, s3, etc.

For a shape that has two of its opposite sides the same as each other and its other two opposite
sides the same as each other but different from the first two sides, we'll need two variables.
We'll call the longer of the two distances 'length' and the shorter of the two distances 'width.'
We'll represent length with an l and width with a w, as follows:

l = length

w = width

Finding the Perimeter for a Square

Each side of a square has the same length, so we can use our abbreviation s to represent a side.
A square has four sides, so we can find its perimeter by finding the length of any side and
multiplying it by 4. We write the formula this way: P = 4s.

In the picture shown here, each side of the square has a length of 6 feet. Using our formula, P =
4s, we plug in the value of the length of one side for s: P = 4 * 6 ft. 6 * 4 = 24, so the perimeter of
our square is 24 feet.
Finding the Perimeter for a Rectangle
A rectangle has right angles like a square does, but it has two longer sides that are the same
(length) and two shorter sides that are the same (width). If we know the length of one side and
the width of another, we can add them together and multiply by 2. We write the formula this
way: P = 2(l + w).

To find the perimeter of the rectangle shown here, we need to have the length of one of the
longer sides and the width of one of the shorter sides. We see from the labels that the length is
6 and the width is 3.

Starting with our formula, P = 2(l + w), we then substitute 6 for the l and 3 for the w: P = 2(6 + 3).
Adding 6 and 3 equals 9, so our equation now looks like this: P = 2(9). Multiplying 2 times 9 gives
us 18, which is the perimeter of the rectangle.

Finding the Perimeter of a Triangle

A triangle has three sides, which may be the same or different lengths. The easiest way to find
the perimeter is to just add the sides together. We can write the formula like this: P = s1 + s2 +
s3. For a triangle, we often represent the three sides with the letters a, b, and c, so we can also
write the formula as P = a + b + c.

For the triangle shown here, we start with our formula and then plug in the lengths of each side
in place of the variables representing the sides. Now, we add up the lengths of the sides. Adding
4 + 8 + 11 = 23, so the perimeter of our triangle is 23 centimeters.

Finding the Perimeter of a Polygon

A triangle is a polygon with only three sides. To find the perimeter of a polygon, add up the
lengths of all the sides, just as you did for the triangle. The difference here is that the polygon
shown here has more sides than the triangle did.

This polygon, called a pentagon, is a polygon with five sides, so we write the formula this way: P
= s1 + s2 + s3 + s4 + s5. Now, we substitute the lengths of the sides for the variables representing
them: P = 5 + 4 + 2 + 7 + 1. We add up the sides: 5 + 4 + 2 + 7 + 1 = 19, so we write our result this
way: P = 19.

One thing to remember when finding the perimeter of an object is that you can only add lengths
that have the same unit. If one side of an object is in inches and another is in feet, you must
convert either inches to feet or feet to inches before adding. If no units are given, you can
assume they are the same. Now, we're going to work through a couple of example problems on
perimeters.

Example Problem 1
Andrew is going to build a wooden hat box. He decides that each side should be 5 inches long.
He also decides to make the box so that the lid and bottom are the shape of a regular hexagon.
What will the perimeter of the lid be?
Before we answer this question, we must first define some terms:

A hexagon is a six-sided figure.

A regular hexagon is a hexagon where all six sides are the same length.

We know that Andrew wants a box with six sides of equal lengths. We write our perimeter
formula this way: P = s1 + s2 + s3 + s4 + s5 + s6.

Each side is 5 inches long, so we replace each of the side-length variables with 5 inches, like so: P
= 5 in + 5 in + 5 in + 5 in + 5 in + 5 in.

Then, we can find the perimeter by adding up the sides. The perimeter of the box is 5 + 5 + 5 + 5
+ 5 + 5, or 30 inches. P = 30 in.

Example Problem 2
Paula wants to fence in an area to make a rectangular garden, but doesn't want to spend any
money to buy fencing. She has 36 feet of fencing left over from another project, and she knows
she wants her garden to be 10 feet long. What can the width of her garden be if she uses all the
fencing she has?

Starting with the information that Paula wants a rectangular garden, we can use the formula for
the perimeter of a rectangle: P = 2(l + w).

Then, we fill in what we know. The length of the garden is to be 10 feet, and its perimeter is to
be 36 feet because that's how much fencing Paula has. Now, our formula looks like this: 36 =
2(10 + w).

To solve for w (which will be the width of her garden), we multiply both values inside the
parentheses by 2. Now our equation looks like this: 36 = 20 + 2w.

Subtract 20 from both sides: 36 - 20 = 20 + 2w - 20. 16 = 2w.

Finally, divide both sides by 2. 8 = w, or putting the variable on the left, we write: w = 8. Paula's
garden will be 8 feet wide.

Lesson Summary
The perimeter is the distance around the outer edge of a two-dimensional figure. To find the
perimeter, you need to know the length of one or more sides, depending on the shape of the
figure. Finding the perimeter has many practical applications, including finding how much
material is needed for a building project.

Vocabulary Terms & Definitions

 Perimeter

Terms Definitions

Perimeter the path that surrounds an area

Polygon two-dimensional figure with angles

Circumference the perimeter of a circle

Pentagon a polygon with five sides

Hexagon a six-sided figure

Regular hexagon a hexagon in which all six sides are the same length

Learning Outcomes
Complete this video lesson and transcript on perimeter with these goals in mind:

Define 'perimeter' and note the origins of the term

Remember the basic formula for finding the perimeter

Find the perimeter of a square, rectangle, triangle and polygon

Give examples of the formulas for solving for perimeter

Activities FAQs

Additional Perimeter Examples

In the following examples, students will gain practice calculating the perimeter of various
shapes and use the definition of perimeter to solve for missing side lengths. After
completing the examples, students will understand that the perimeter of a shape is the
distance around the shape - regardless of if the shape is a "standard" geometric shape or a
really complicated shape.
Examples
1. Find the perimeter of a triangle, in inches, with side lengths: 5 inches, 1 foot, and 13
inches.

2. What side length of a square would be needed so that the perimeter of the square equals
the perimeter of an equilateral triangle with side length 9?

3. The length of a rectangle is 3x + 2 and the width of the rectangle is 2x - 1. If the perimeter
is equal to 52, find the length and width of the rectangle.

4. If the perimeter of the shape below is equal to 73 inches, what is the total length of the
curved portion of the shape?

Solutions
1. To find the perimeter of the triangle, simply add up the side lengths. Be careful - all side
lengths must have the same units, so we will convert the 1-foot side length to 12 inches.
Then, the perimeter is P = 5 + 12 + 13 = 30 inches.

2. First find the perimeter of the equilateral triangle: P = 9 + 9 + 9 = 27. We want to find the
side length of a square with perimeter 27. The formula for the perimeter of a square is P =
4s so we have 27 = 4s and so s = 27/4 = 6.75.

3. Using P = 2(l + w), we have 52 = 2(3x + 2 + 2x - 1). Dividing by 2 and then combining like
terms, we have 26 = 5x + 1. So, 25 = 5x and so x = 5. Then, substitute x = 5 back into the
formulas for length and width to find that the length is 3(5) + 2 = 17 and the width is 2(5) - 1
= 9.

4. The perimeter is found by adding up all the sides of the shape. Let x stand for the length
of the curved portion of the shape. Then, we have 10.1 + 4 + 5 + 13 + 7.3 + 11.2 + x = 73.
Adding the sides together, we have 50.6 + x = 73 and so the length of the curved portion is x
= 22.4.
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