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Re: What's a 9,11,12,etc-sided figure called?
Posted:
May 30, 2006 1:22 PM
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On 5/30/06, NealAgMan@aol.com <NealAgMan@aol.com> wrote:
> the only ones I can remember with any certainty:
>
> 9 sides: nonagon
Only if you don't mind mixing latin (non-) with greek (-gon).
I prefer enneagon.
> 11 sides: undecagon (although I think there is another name)
Similarly, hendecagon is purely greek, while undecagon mixes the latin again.
> 12 sides: dodecagon
> 15 siees: pentadecagon
Should be "pentakaidecagon" to avoid confusion -- the "kai" meaning "and".
http://mathforum.org/dr.math/faq/faq.polygon.names.html has the details.
> Remember that the general polygon of n sides is called an n-gon, so you are always safe to use the terminology "12-gon, 15-gon, etc."
>
Right! That's the best approach. People might not know what an
enneagon is, but they'll surely know a 9-gon.
--Joshua Zucker
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