Areas of polygons - by an algorithm

Last updated: 15/11/2023
Contributor: David Benjamin 🐝
Areas of polygons - by an algorithm
Main Subject
Key stage
Category
Geometry and measures: Area and perimeter
Inside
Includes answers
Resource type
Complete lesson
Maths
Reasoning

This PowerPoint resource is suitable as enrichment in KS3 or in KS4 maths.

It demonstrates the shoelace algorithm, a favourite of the mathematician Gauss, for finding the area of any polygon. The algorithm involves listing the coordinates of the vertices of the polygon and the multiplication, addition and subtraction of integers.

There is a lovely proof of Pythagoras' theorem for KS4 and it provides a hidden link to matrices and their determinants.

All reviews

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5

03/10/2019

5

03/10/2019