Pentagon facts for kids
A pentagon is a special shape, or polygon, that has five straight sides. It also has five corners, called vertices. All these points and sides lie flat on a flat surface.
If a pentagon has all its five sides the same length and all its five angles the same size (exactly 108 degrees), it's called a regular pentagon. These shapes are found all around us, both in nature and in things people build!
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Where can you find pentagons?
Pentagons appear in many surprising places. You can see them in plants, animals, and even in buildings and everyday objects.
Pentagons in Plants
Many plants show off the pentagon shape. For example, if you cut an Okra fruit, you'll see a pentagonal cross-section. Some beautiful morning glory flowers also have five petals arranged in a pentagonal pattern. Even the inside of an apple can show a five-pointed star shape when cut across, which is related to the pentagon.
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The inside of an okra looks like a pentagon.
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Morning glories often have five petals.
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The core of an apple can form a five-pointed star.
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Starfruit is shaped like a five-pointed star.
Pentagons in Animals
The animal kingdom also has examples of pentagonal symmetry. Many sea creatures called echinoderms have five-part symmetry.
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A sea star has five arms.
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Brittle stars also show five-part symmetry.
Pentagons in Human Creations
People have used the pentagon shape in many designs, from famous buildings to sports equipment.
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The Pentagon building in the U.S. is shaped like a giant pentagon.
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The home plate in baseball is a pentagon.
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Fort Bourtange in the Netherlands is a star-shaped fort with pentagonal sections.
Pentagons in Architecture
Many old forts and buildings were designed with pentagonal shapes for defense or beauty. For example, the Citadel of Lille in France and the Citadel of Pamplona in Spain are famous examples of star-shaped forts that use pentagons in their design. The Villa Farnese in Italy is a grand palace built in the shape of a pentagon. Even the Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk in the Czech Republic has a unique pentagonal design.
Images for kids
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A way to draw a regular pentagon using circles.
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Euclid's method for drawing a pentagon inside a circle.
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How a regular pentagon can be symmetrical.
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A sea star showing its five-part symmetry.
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The inner skeleton of a sea urchin also has a pentagonal pattern.
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A special crystal called a quasicrystal, shaped like a pentagonal dodecahedron.
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A pyritohedral crystal of pyrite.
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The home plate on a baseball field.
See also
In Spanish: Pentágono para niños
