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Pentagonal

Age 14 to 16
Challenge Level Yellow star
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Laura sent us her work on this problem. Well done, Laura!

Square

Let the square have side length $l$. Then its perimeter is $4l$. Also, we can see from the diagram above that the sum of the distances from the point to the top and bottom sides is $l$, and similarly the sum of the distances from the point to the left and right sides is $l$, so the total sum of the distances is $2l=\frac{1}{2}\times 4l$, which is constant and half of the perimeter.
 
Rectangle
 
Let the rectangle have height $h$ and width $w$. Then its perimeter is $2(h+w)$. This is very similar to the square. Here the sum of the distances from $P$ to the top and bottom sides is $h$, and the sum of the distances from $P$ to the right and left sides is $w$, so the total sum of the distances is $h+w=\frac{1}{2}\times 2(h+w)$ is constant, and again is half of the perimeter.
 
Hexagon
 
This hexagon isn't regular, but it is equilateral (all its sides have the same length, $l$, say). I've drawn on the perpendicular lines (in red) from $P$ to the sides, and have also divided the hexagon into six triangles (in blue), each with base $l$ and height the distance from that side to the point. The area of the hexagon can therefore be written as $\frac{1}{2}(\textrm{sum of the heights})\times l$. Since this is constant, so is the sum of the heights.\par In the same way, the sum of the distances in an equilateral pentagon is constant.

 

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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