SOLUTION: What is the measure of each exterior angle of an equilateral triangle?

Algebra ->  Triangles -> SOLUTION: What is the measure of each exterior angle of an equilateral triangle?      Log On


   



Question 703883: What is the measure of each exterior angle of an equilateral triangle?
Answer by KMST(5328) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
For a polygon where all the angles have the same measure
(like an equilateral triangle, a square, a rectangle, a regular hexagon, etc)
the measure of an exterior angle equals
360%5Eo divided by the number of sides.
So for an equilateral triangle,
each exterior angle measures 360%5Eo%2F3=highlight%28120%5Eo%29


Here's why:
When you are drawing a polygon,
at each vertex, to "turn the corner",
you have to change direction by a certain angle.
That angle if the exterior angle.
For a square, you turn 90%5Eo at each corner,
and if you keep going,
as you are retracing the first side,
you have turned 90%5Eo four times,
for a total of 4%2890%5Eo%29=360%5Eo,
and you are going in the same direction as when you started.
For any regular polygon of n sides,
the n exterior angles have the same measure A,
and n%28A%29=360%5Eo, so A=360%5Eo%2Fn