Always on the lookout for fun math games and activities in the classroom? Try our ready-to-go printable packs for students to complete independently or with a partner!
Here you will learn about the hexagon shape including its properties, the different types of hexagon shapes and how to solve problems involving hexagon shapes.
Students will first learn about the hexagon shape as part of geometry in elementary school.
What is the hexagon shape?
A hexagon shape is a closed two-dimensional polygon made up of six straight sides.
Hexagons have six vertices (corners), six interior angles and six exterior angles. The name hexagon is divided into ‘hex’ meaning six, and ‘gonia’ meaning apex or corners.
Hexagon shapes can have the same or different dimensions of length. A regular hexagon shape has six sides that are equal in length, six interior angles that are equal in size and six exterior angles that are equal in size.
Some examples of real life regular hexagons include floor tiles and honeycomb in beehives which form tessellating hexagonal patterns.
Snowflakes are also hexagonal patterns.
An irregular hexagon shape has six sides, six interior angles and six exterior angles that are not all equal.
Hexagons can also be convex or concave.
Convex hexagons
Concave hexagons
A convex hexagon shape has interior angles that all measure less than 180^{\circ}.
Convex hexagons can be regular or irregular. All the vertices (corners) of a convex hexagon are pointed outwards.
For example,
A concave hexagon shape has at least one interior angle that is greater than 180^{\circ}.
Concave hexagons have at least one vertex that points inwards.
For example,
Sides of a hexagon shape
All hexagon shapes have six straight edges that form a closed shape.
Regular hexagons have six equal sides.
Irregular hexagons have six sides that are not all equal in length or six interior angles that are not equal in size, or both.
By adding the lengths of all six sides of a hexagon, you get the perimeter of the hexagon.
In a regular hexagon, if you know the value of the perimeter, you can calculate the length of each side by dividing the perimeter by six.
For example,
The regular hexagon shape below has a perimeter of 108 \, cm.
You can calculate the length of each side by,
108 \div 6=18.
So, the length of each side of the regular hexagon shape is 18 \, cm.
Angles of a hexagon shape
All polygons have interior (inside) and exterior (outside) angles. A pair of interior and exterior angles form a straight line and therefore add to 180^{\circ}.
Interior angles are the angles inside a polygon formed at a vertex where two sides meet.
Exterior angles are the angles between a polygon and the extended line from the vertex (corner) of the polygon.
What is the hexagon shape?
Common Core State Standards
How does this relate to Kindergarten through 4 th grade math?
Kindergarten: Geometry (K.G.A.2) Correctly name shapes regardless of their orientations or overall size.
Grade 2: Geometry (2.G.A.1) Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes, such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes.
Grade 3: Measurement and Data (3.MD.D.8) Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters.
Grade 4: Geometry (4.G.A.3) Recognize a line of symmetry for a two-dimensional figure as a line across the figure such that the figure can be folded along the line into matching parts. Identify line-symmetric figures and draw lines of symmetry.
How to identify a hexagon shape
In order to identify hexagon shapes:
Look for the characteristics of a hexagon shape.
State whether or not the shape is a hexagon.
If the shape is not a hexagon, explain what characteristics are different.
[FREE] 2D Shape Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 2 to 4)
Use this quiz to check your grade 2 – 4 students’ understanding of 2D shape. 10+ questions with answers covering a range of 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade 2D shape topics to identify areas of strength and support!
[FREE] 2D Shape Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 2 to 4)
Use this quiz to check your grade 2 – 4 students’ understanding of 2D shape. 10+ questions with answers covering a range of 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade 2D shape topics to identify areas of strength and support!
The perimeter of the hexagon shape is 24 \mathrm{~cm}.
Example 5: find the missing side
Below is a regular hexagon shape. The perimeter of the shape is 36 \mathrm{~cm}. Find the missing side length, a.
Add all the side lengths or apply the formula.
The perimeter can be found by adding the lengths of all six sides. This is a regular hexagon, and all six sides are equal.
You also know that the perimeter is 36 \mathrm{~cm}. To find the side length, a, use the knowledge of multiplication facts or divide the perimeter by the number of equal sides.
6 \times a=36 \mathrm{~cm}
Using the multiplication facts, you know 6 \times 6=36, therefore, a=6cm.
a=36 \div 6=6 \mathrm{~cm}
Write the final answer with the correct units.
The missing side of the hexagon is 6 \mathrm{~cm}.
Example 6: find the missing side
Below is an irregular hexagon shape. The perimeter of the shape is 30 \mathrm{~cm}. Find the missing side length.
Add all the side lengths or apply the formula.
The perimeter can be found by adding the lengths of all six sides. You also know that the perimeter is 30 \mathrm{~cm}.
First, add up the length of the sides.
2+2+7+1+9=21 \mathrm{~cm}
Then subtract the sum of the given sides from the given perimeter.
30-21=9 \mathrm{~cm}
Write the final answer with the correct units.
The missing side of the hexagon is 9 \mathrm{~cm}.
Teaching tips for the hexagon shape
Display large, colorful visuals of hexagons on posters or using interactive whiteboards. This allows students to see the shape clearly and understand its properties.
Instead of practice worksheets, give students problem-solving tasks that involve hexagons. For example, challenge them to construct a hexagon with specific dimensions and compare with other geometric shapes.
Easy mistakes to make
Assuming a hexagon is regular Be careful to never assume a polygon is regular or irregular. If the question does not tell us, use the appropriate properties of polygons to identify regularity or irregularity. For example, the hexagon below looks regular at a glance, however, you can see from the diagram that two interior angles are labeled, and they are not equal. For a polygon to be regular, all six interior angles must be equal in size.
Mixing up the interior or exterior angles Be careful not to confuse interior and exterior angles. The Interior angles of a regular hexagon are formed inside the shape, where two sides meet and form a vertex (corner). Exterior angles are formed between a polygon and the extended line from the vertex (corner) of the polygon.
Confusing diagonals and lines of symmetry Be careful not to confuse diagonals with lines of symmetry. In a regular hexagon, the three long diagonals are also lines of symmetry, however, the short diagonals are not.
To find the perimeter of a hexagon shape, you add together the six side lengths.
2+3+8+3+10+6=32 \mathrm{~cm}
The perimeter of the hexagon shape is 32 \mathrm{~cm}.
5. The perimeter of this hexagon shape is 50 \, cm. Find the missing side.
14 \mathrm{~cm}
5 \mathrm{~cm}
3 \mathrm{~cm}
11 \mathrm{~cm}
To find the perimeter of a hexagon shape, you add together the six side lengths.
9+14+11+4+7=50 \mathrm{~cm}
You know five of the six sides and that the perimeter is 50 \, cm.
You can subtract the sides known from the total perimeter to find the missing side.
\text { perimeter }=50-14-9-11-4-7=5 \mathrm{~cm}
6. Below is a regular hexagon shape. The perimeter of the shape is 42 \, cm. What is the measure of the missing side length?
6 \mathrm{~cm}
5 \mathrm{~cm}
7 \mathrm{~cm}
8 \mathrm{~cm}
To find the perimeter of a hexagon shape, you add together the six side lengths. In this case, you have the perimeter and need to find the measure of the sides.
The hexagon is a regular hexagon, so all sides are equal.
You can either divide the perimeter by 6 or use your knowledge of multiplication facts to find the missing side.
The number of sides that a hexagon has is 6. In a regular hexagon, all sides will be of equal length.
How do you find the area of a regular hexagon?
To find the area of a regular hexagon, you will use the following formula:
\text { Area }=\cfrac{\left(3 \sqrt{3} \times s^2\right) }{2}, \text { where } s=\text { length of one side of hexagon }.
The final value you obtain is the area of the regular hexagon, expressed in square units.
Is the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland an example of a hexagon?
The Giant’s Causeway is an area of basalt columns that were the result of a volcanic eruption. The ancient lava cooled into hexagonal blocks or columns.
At Third Space Learning, we specialize in helping teachers and school leaders to provide personalized math support for more of their students through high-quality, online one-on-one math tutoring delivered by subject experts.
Each week, our tutors support thousands of students who are at risk of not meeting their grade-level expectations, and help accelerate their progress and boost their confidence.
We use essential and non-essential cookies to improve the experience on our website. Please read our Cookies Policy for information on how we use cookies and how to manage or change your cookie settings.Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
![[FREE] 2D Shape Check for Understanding Quiz (Grade 2 to 4)](https://thirdspacelearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2D-shapes-check-for-understanding-quiz-listing-image.png)
