How many diagonals does a square have?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the number of diagonals in a square, which involves understanding the properties of a square and how diagonals are defined. A square has specific characteristics that can be used to determine the number of diagonals it contains.
Answer
The number of diagonals in a square is $2$.
Answer for screen readers
The number of diagonals in a square is $2$.
Steps to Solve
- Identify the number of vertices in a square
A square has 4 vertices (corners).
- Use the formula for calculating diagonals
The formula to find the number of diagonals in a polygon is given by:
$$ D = \frac{n(n - 3)}{2} $$
where $n$ is the number of vertices in the polygon. For a square, $n = 4$.
- Plug in the value of n
Now, substitute $n = 4$ into the formula:
$$ D = \frac{4(4 - 3)}{2} $$
- Calculate the value
Simplifying the equation:
$$ D = \frac{4(1)}{2} = \frac{4}{2} = 2 $$
Thus, the square has 2 diagonals.
The number of diagonals in a square is $2$.
More Information
A square has two diagonals that connect opposite corners. These diagonals bisect each other and are equal in length, creating two triangles within the square.
Tips
- Forgetting to use the correct formula for calculating diagonals can lead to incorrect answers.
- Confusing the number of sides of the polygon with the number of diagonals.
