The Area of Irregular Pentagon Formula Calculator helps you find the area of an irregular pentagon by dividing it into triangles. By calculating the area of each triangle and summing them, the calculator provides the total area of the pentagon. This tool is especially useful for students, engineers, and anyone needing precise area measurements for irregular pentagons.
Formula
To calculate the area of an irregular pentagon, follow these steps:
- Divide the pentagon into three triangles.
- Calculate the area of each triangle using Heron’s formula.
- Add the areas of the three triangles to get the total area.
Heron’s formula for the area of a triangle is:
Area = sqrt(s * (s – a) * (s – b) * (s – c))
where:
- a, b, and c are the lengths of the sides of the triangle
- s is the semi-perimeter, calculated as: s = (a + b + c) / 2
Steps to calculate the area of an irregular pentagon:
- Divide the pentagon into three triangles.
- Calculate the area of each triangle using Heron’s formula.
- Add the areas of the three triangles to get the total area.
Useful Table
Here is a table with pre-calculated areas for common irregular pentagons. This can be helpful for quick reference without needing to calculate each time.
| Side Lengths (a, b, c, d, e) | Area (square units) |
|---|---|
| 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | 35.35 |
| 7, 7, 7, 8, 9 | 40.72 |
| 8, 8, 9, 9, 10 | 52.83 |
Example
Let’s walk through an example to demonstrate the calculation:
- Divide the pentagon into three triangles with side lengths (5, 6, 7), (7, 8, 9), and (9, 10, 11).
- Calculate the semi-perimeter for each triangle.
- For triangle 1: s = (5 + 6 + 7) / 2 = 9
- For triangle 2: s = (7 + 8 + 9) / 2 = 12
- For triangle 3: s = (9 + 10 + 11) / 2 = 15
- Apply Heron’s formula to find the area of each triangle.
- For triangle 1: Area = sqrt(9 * (9 – 5) * (9 – 6) * (9 – 7)) = 14.7
- For triangle 2: Area = sqrt(12 * (12 – 7) * (12 – 8) * (12 – 9)) = 24.0
- For triangle 3: Area = sqrt(15 * (15 – 9) * (15 – 10) * (15 – 11)) = 39.7
- Add the areas of the three triangles to get the total area: 14.7 + 24.0 + 39.7 = 78.4 square units.
Most Common FAQs
An irregular pentagon is a five-sided polygon where the sides and angles are not all equal.
Heron’s formula allows you to calculate the area of a triangle when you know the lengths of all three sides, making it useful for irregular shapes.
Yes, but regular pentagons have a simpler formula for area calculation. This calculator is most beneficial for irregular pentagons with varying side lengths.