The exact perimeter of a square with a side length of 5 cm is 20 cm.
Understanding the Perimeter of a Square
The perimeter of any two-dimensional shape is the total distance around its outer boundary. For a square, which has four equal sides and four right angles, the perimeter is the sum of the lengths of all four sides.
Calculating the Perimeter
Since all sides of a square are equal in length, we can find the perimeter by adding the length of one side to itself four times.
As stated in the reference, for a square with a side length of 5 cm:
The perimeter of the square will be 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 20 cm.
Alternatively, a more efficient way to calculate the perimeter of a square is to multiply the length of one side by 4 (since there are four equal sides).
The formula for the perimeter (P) of a square is:
P = 4 * side
Example Calculation
Let's apply the formula using the given side length of 5 cm:
- Side length (s) = 5 cm
- Perimeter (P) = 4 * s
- P = 4 * 5 cm
- P = 20 cm
Both methods yield the same result, confirming that the perimeter is 20 cm.
Summary Table
To visualize the relationship between the side length and the perimeter for this specific case, consider the following table:
| Shape | Side Length | Calculation | Perimeter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square | 5 cm | 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 or 4 * 5 | 20 cm |
Understanding how to calculate the perimeter is fundamental in geometry and practical applications, such as determining the amount of fencing needed for a square garden.
