A perimeter is a path that surrounds an area. The word comes from the Greek peri (around) and meter (measure). The term may be used either for the path or its length - it can be thought of as the length of the outline of a shape. The perimeter of a circular area is called circumference.
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Calculating the perimeter has considerable practical applications. The perimeter can be used to calculate the length of fence required to surround a yard or garden. The perimeter of a wheel (its circumference) describes how far it will roll in one revolution. Similarly, the amount of string wound around a spool is related to the spool's perimeter.
shape | formula | variables |
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circle | ![]() |
where ![]() |
triangle | ![]() |
where ![]() ![]() ![]() |
square | ![]() |
where ![]() |
rectangle | ![]() |
where ![]() ![]() |
equilateral polygon | ![]() |
where ![]() ![]() |
regular polygon | ![]() |
where ![]() ![]() |
general polygon | ![]() |
where ![]() ![]() |
Perimeter is about the distance around all of a shape for e.g. circle , the perimeter around a circle is called a circumference . Perimeters for more general shapes can be calculated as any path with where
is the length of the path and
is an infinitesimal line element. Both of these must be replaced with other algebraic forms in order to be solved: an advanced notion of perimeter, which includes hypersurfaces bounding volumes in
-dimensional euclidean spaces can be found in the theory of Caccioppoli sets.