How do you describe a two dimensional shape? - Answers

This is just a rough outline of a few of the ways to describe a 2-d shape. I can't go into depth because there are both an infinite number of 2-d shapes and and infinite number of ways to describe them. Without a better understanding of what is being asked the correct answer simply cannot be known. Anyway, a rough attempt: It depends on what you mean by describe. There are many words used to describe a 2-d shape: square, circle, pentagon, etc. It depends largely on what shape it is. If it's an irregular pentagon then it will be described differently than if it were a regular square. If it's a regular shape (each side is of equal length e.g. square) then it would simply be described with "A regular [shape] with side length [some number and measurement label]". And example: "A regular octagon with side length 8 inches" would be roughly a stop sign (I have no idea how long the sides of a stop sign really are). If it's irregular then it's more complicated. A number of methods could be used spanning the spectra of ease of use and amount of use. You could potentially describe the basic shape and then give each side length in turn. You could potentially find some equation to fit the shape. You could split it up into something simpler like triangles and describe them instead.