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Exterior angle of a regular hexagon

Step by step, with the reason for every step · Exterior angles · Geometry

Step by step

The question

Question: find one exterior angle of a regular hexagon.

1 Walk around the shape

Walk along the edge.

At a corner, carry the side on, dashed.

Then turn to the next side.

The turn is the exterior angle.

We turn at every corner.

All the way round, we end up facing the same way as at the start.

That is one full turn.

So the exterior angles add up to 360°.

A regular shape turns the same at every corner.

2 Share it out

6 equal turns make 360°.

So we share it: 360/6.

one angle = 3606

360 divided by 6 is 60.

So each exterior angle is 60°.

one angle = 60°

3 Check

Let's check: 6 turns of 60° together.

6 × 60 = 360

We get 360°, one full turn.

So 60° is right!

Let's look back.

First: walk around the shape.

Then: share it out.

Last: check.

Answer
one angle = 60°

Your turn

Try this one yourself, then check:

Find the exterior angle of a regular octagon.
Show the answer
one angle = 45°

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