Shapes are typically named based on the number of sides they have and the characteristics of their angles. Here's a basic explanation of how shapes are named based on these criteria:
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Triangles: A triangle has three sides. The name reflects the number of sides (tri- meaning three). Additionally, triangles can be classified by their angles: acute (all angles less than 90 degrees), right (one angle equal to 90 degrees), and obtuse (one angle greater than 90 degrees).
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Quadrilaterals: A quadrilateral has four sides (quad- meaning four). This category includes squares (all sides equal and angles are 90 degrees), rectangles (opposite sides equal and angles are 90 degrees), rhombuses (all sides equal but angles are not necessarily 90 degrees), and trapezoids (at least one pair of parallel sides).
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Pentagons: A pentagon has five sides (pent- meaning five). Regular pentagons have all sides equal and angles measuring 108 degrees. They can also have various other forms, such as irregular pentagons.
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Hexagons: A hexagon has six sides (hex- meaning six). Similar to pentagons, regular hexagons have equal sides and angles, each measuring 120 degrees.
The naming convention is systematic, where prefixes indicate the number of sides, and further descriptors (like "regular" or "irregular") refer to the equality of sides and angles. Understanding this helps in both identifying and classifying various geometric shapes based on their properties.