Answer – The area of a hexagon can be found using the formula , where a is the length of any of its equal sides.
Explanation:
The word hexagon comes from the Greek words hex, meaning six, and gōnia, meaning angle or corner. Thus, a hexagon is a figure with 6 corners, 6 angles, and 6 sides.
The method to find the area of a hexagon varies depending on the data available:
1. When the length of the hexagon’s side is given
A regular hexagon has all 6 sides equal. Its area can be found using the formula
, where the length of the side is substituted in place of a. This expression is derived from the formula for the area of an equilateral triangle since a hexagon is composed of 6 such triangles.
2. When the perimeter of the hexagon is given
The length of each side can be found using the formula for the perimeter of a hexagon: , where a is the length of each side. Once a is found, it is substituted in the formula for the area given above.
