Topic: geometry question from a thicko :(

[agapanthus]

I want to make staging for my hexangonal greenhouse (yup finally got it square!!)..all the way around and as my geometry = zip could one of you clever people tell me what the angles would be ??? Not sure if this makes sense ??? ??? ???

[Paulines7]

Well done for ercting your greenhouse, it couldn't have been very straightforward.  The internal angles should be 120 degrees.

[Palustris]

No, no ,no internal angles are all 60 degrees.
360 degress in a circle 6 angles in a hexagon. 360/6 = 60 baboom!

[Tulipa]

60 was my first answer, but in a square the angles at the corners would be 90 and in a hexagon they will be greater than a right angle so 120 degrees I think.  Daughter is taking further maths a level module today - will ask her when she comes home! 

Edit: Sorry Eric, you always have a greater knowledge of gardening than me.  60 degrees would make an equilateral triangle I think.

[Curryandchips]

That is correct Pauline.

Agapanthus, if you measure and cut a shelf with square corners so it is the correct length to sit up to each bend in your greenhouse, you can then mark and cut off a 30 degree wedge off each end, to produce shelves which will line up with each other. Please don't ask me to explain why though !

Palustris, may I gently correct you, the internal angle of a regular polygon is 180 degrees minus the angle you have cited ie 60 deg. Hence 120 degrees. I can see quite clearly why people struggle with the arithmetic.

[Ceratonia]

I misinformed Palustris while on chat, so my fault, not his  :-[

A quick bit of drawing shows me that if a polygon has N sides, then the formula is

Sum of the interior angles of a polygon = (N - 2) x 180°, rather than a simple 360.

So the angles of a hexagon must add up to 720, so if the hexagon has 6 equal sides, its internal angles will be 120°, as previously posted.

[Curryandchips]

See if this diagram helps. This is showing the end of the shelf.

[kenkew]

I ran out of paper so went here.
http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Hexagon.html

[Palustris]

Sorry, I take it back.

[agapanthus]

Wish I had'nt asked now :-[...lol  I did think it was 60 degrees...but then I did'nt think  was right :'(......but hey ignorance is bliss!! ;D  Thanks very much ;D

[adam04]

Eric worked out the external angles. to find external angles its 360 / by number or vectros (corners). then you take that from 180 and thats your angle.

[lorna]

Well I knew the answer !!!!! I TELL LIES AS WELL ::) ::) ::)