What in the World is
TRIANGULATION?
This site will explore the meaning of Triangluation and let YOU use a cool program to do your own Triangulating!!!
 
What is Triangulation?
In the word triangulation, you can almost find the word "Triangle."  It's a pretty good guess, then, if you suspect that triangulation has something to do with triangles!  In fact,
triangulation simply means:
Dividing something into triangles!

By something, we mean polygons.  Triangulation divides polygons into triangles.  What are polygons?

Examples of polygons are:

The definition of a polygon is:  The union of three or more coplanar segments (or SIDES) such that each segment intersects exactly two others, one at each of its endpoints.
(Thank you, Chicago Math Series for the definition)
Polygons are simply shapes without exta sides sticking out!
 
 
 

Let's Try Triangulating!

Click here to Try Triangulating! 
 
Now that you've had a chance to triangulate yourself, fill in this table by first printing out the table, then filling it in with a paper and pencil!
 
 
# of Sides on the Polygon
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
n
# of Triangles formed when Triangulated
1
2
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Using Triangulating to Find Area!

Does triangulating serve us any purpose?  The answer is of course, of course!!!    Since we already know how to find  Areas of Triangles , and we can divide every polygon or shape into triangles, we can find the area of polygons!
 
 

# of Sides of Regular  Polygon
3
4
5
6
7
Area of Each Triangle
 
 
 
 
 
Area of Entire Polygon
 
 
 
 
 
 

Using Triangulating to Find the Sum of Interior Angles!
 

# of Sides of Regular Polygon
3
4
5
6
7
Sum of Interior Angles
 
 
 
 
 
 

Now that You've Worked so Hard, Check Your Work!


 

Click Here to Return to the Triangle Homepage!