A shape is described by identifying its straight sides and vertices, or corners, and counting how many of each it has; for common polygons, the number of sides matches the number of vertices (for example, triangles have 3, quadrilaterals 4, pentagons 5, and hexagons 6). This understanding applies regardless of a shape’s size, orientation, or appearance and does not include angle measurement or advanced polygon classification.
To describe a shape, count its:
Start at one side and count all the way around the shape. Count each side and each corner once.
Example: Imagine a shape with 5 straight sides.
The shape has 5 sides and 5 vertices. It is called a pentagon.
A shape’s size or direction does not change the number of sides or vertices.
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