Octagon facts for kids
In geometry, an octagon is a shape with eight straight sides. It's a type of polygon, which is a flat shape made of straight lines.
A regular octagon is special because all its eight sides are the same length, and all its eight angles are the same size.
Contents
What Makes an Octagon Special?
The total of all the inside angles of any octagon is always 1080 degrees. Imagine walking around an octagon; if you turn at each corner, the total of all those turns (the outside angles) will add up to 360 degrees.
Where Do We See Octagons?
Octagons are used in many places, from buildings to everyday objects!
Octagons in Architecture
The eight-sided shape is a popular design in buildings. For example:
- The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem has a famous octagonal shape.
- The Tower of the Winds in Athens, Greece, is another old building with an octagonal design.
- Many churches use octagons, like the Basilica of San Vitale in Italy and the Aachen Cathedral in Germany. This shape can make the central part of a church feel grand and open.
Architects sometimes use octagonal layouts for office buildings to help separate different work areas from building services like elevators and restrooms.
Other Cool Uses
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Umbrellas often have an octagonal outline.
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The famous Bukhara rug design includes an octagonal "elephant's foot" pattern.
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The game Janggi (Korean chess) uses octagonal pieces.
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Japanese lottery machines are often octagonal.
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Stop signs in many countries are octagonal.
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An icon of a stop sign with a hand in the middle.
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The bagua symbols in Taoism are often arranged in an octagon.
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A famous octagonal gold cup found in the Belitung shipwreck.
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Classes at Shimer College are often held around octagonal tables.
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The Labyrinth of the Reims Cathedral has a shape that is almost an octagon.
Images for kids
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A special type of octagon called a skew octagon.
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The analog sticks on some Nintendo controllers move within an octagonal area.
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An octagonal prism is a 3D shape with two octagonal faces.
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An octagonal antiprism also has two octagonal faces.
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The truncated cuboctahedron is a complex 3D shape that has 6 octagonal faces.
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A pattern of shapes that includes octagons.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Octógono para niños
