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Which of the following regular polygons does not tessellate?

Ask by Macdonald Stewart. in the United States
Jan 22,2025

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Answer

A regular pentagon does not tessellate the plane.

Solution

Regular tessellations (or regular tilings) are patterns created by repeating a single type of regular polygon without any gaps or overlaps. In the context of regular polygons, only three types can tessellate the plane by themselves: 1. **Equilateral Triangle**: Each interior angle is 60°, and six triangles meet at each vertex (6 × 60° = 360°). 2. **Square**: Each interior angle is 90°, and four squares meet at each vertex (4 × 90° = 360°). 3. **Regular Hexagon**: Each interior angle is 120°, and three hexagons meet at each vertex (3 × 120° = 360°). Any regular polygon with a different number of sides does not tessellate the plane on its own. For example: - **Regular Pentagon**: Each interior angle is 108°. Three pentagons meeting at a vertex would total 324°, which is less than 360°, leaving gaps. - **Regular Heptagon (7 sides)**: Each interior angle is approximately 128.57°. Two heptagons meet at a vertex for a total of about 257.14°, which again leaves gaps. **Conclusion:** Among regular polygons, the **regular pentagon** is a common example that does **not** tessellate the plane by itself. **Answer:** A regular pentagon is a regular polygon that does not tessellate the plane.

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Bonus Knowledge

Regular polygons can be captivating shapes, but not all can fit together without leaving gaps. The notable exception among the regular polygons is the regular heptagon (7-sided polygon). While triangles, squares, and hexagons can beautifully fill a plane with their angles aligning perfectly, the angles of a heptagon refuse to play nice and form any complete, gapless tiling. If you ever want to see some artistic representations of non-tessellating polygons, check out the works of M.C. Escher! His mind-bending artwork often explores shapes and tessellations, revealing the beauty of geometry in the most unexpected ways. You'll find inspiration in the way he uses shapes that tessellate alongside those that don’t!

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