Because a hexagon has an even number of sides, in a regular hexagon, opposite sides are parallel.
Interior angle | 120° | Like any regular polygon, to find the interior angle we use the formula (180n–360)/n . For a hexagon, n=6. See Interior Angles of a Polygon |
Exterior Angle | 60° | To find the exterior angle of a regular hexagon, we use the fact that the exterior angle forms a linear pair with the interior angle, so in general it is given by the formula 180-interior angle. See Exterior Angles of a Polygon |
Area | 2.598s2 approx | Where S is the length of a side. To find the exact area of a hexagon or any polygon, using various methods, see Area of a Regular Polygon and Area of an Irregular Polygon |
In a regular hexagon, the radius equals the side length. That is, a line from the center to any vertex will have the same length as any side.
Because of this, a regular hexagon can be thought of as being made of six equilateral triangles.
Number of diagonals | 9 | The number of distinct diagonals possible from all vertices. (In general ½n(n–3) ). In the figure above, click on "show diagonals" to see them. See Diagonals of a Polygon |
Number of triangles | 4 | The number of triangles created by drawing the diagonals from a given vertex. (In general n–2). In the figure above, click on "show triangles" to see them. See Triangles of a Polygon |
Sum of interior angles | 720° | In general 180(n–2) degrees . See Interior Angles of a Polygon |
Most nuts and bolt heads are made in the shape of a hexagon. Because a hexagon has three pairs of parallel faces, a wrench can be placed
over any pair.
In a confined space, the wrench can be turned 60° (the exterior angle of a hexagon) and then the wrench
re-positioned on the next pair of sides. Doing this repeatedly will tighten the nut.
In this way, you do not need room to rotate the entire wrench a full circle.