Types of Triangles

The different types of triangles are classified according to the length of their sides and
as per the measure of the angles. The triangle is one of the most common shapes and
is used in construction for its rigidity and stable shape. Understanding these properties
allows us to apply the ideas in many real-world problems.

What are the Different Types of Triangles?

There are different types of triangles in math that can be distinguished based on their
sides and angles.

Classifying Triangles

The characteristics of a triangle’s sides and angles are used to classify them. The
different types of triangles are as follows:
 Types of Triangle Based Types of Triangles Based
on Sides on Angles

Acute-Angled Triangle (Acute

Equilateral Triangle
Triangle)

Right-Angled Triangle (Right

Isosceles Triangle
Triangle)

Obtuse-Angled Triangle
Scalene Triangle
(Obtuse Triangle)

Types of Triangles Based on Sides

On the basis of side lengths, the triangles are classified into the following types:

 Equilateral Triangle: A triangle is considered to be an equilateral triangle when all three

sides have the same length.
 Isosceles triangle: When two sides of a triangle are equal or congruent, then it is called
an isosceles triangle.
 Scalene triangle: When none of the sides of a triangle are equal, it is called a scalene
triangle.
Types of Triangles Based on Angles

On the basis of angles, triangles are classified into the following types:

 Acute Triangle: When all the angles of a triangle are acute, that is, they measure less than
90°, it is called an acute-angled triangle or acute triangle.
 Right Triangle: When one of the angles of a triangle is 90°, it is called a right-angled
triangle or right triangle.
 Obtuse Triangle: When one of the angles of a triangle is an obtuse angle, that is, it measures
greater than 90°, it is called an obtuse-angled triangle or obtuse triangle.
Types of Triangle Based on Sides and Angles

The different types of triangles are also classified according to their sides and angles as
follows:

 Equilateral or Equiangular Triangle: When all sides and angles of a triangle are equal, it
is called an equilateral or equiangular triangle.
 Isosceles Right Triangle: A triangle in which 2 sides are equal and one angle is 90° is called
an isosceles right triangle. So, in an isosceles right triangle, two sides and two acute angles
are congruent.
 Obtuse Isosceles Triangle: A triangle in which 2 sides are equal and one angle is an obtuse
angle is called an obtuse isosceles triangle.
 Acute Isosceles Triangle: A triangle in which all 3 angles are acute angles and 2 sides
measure the same is called an acute isosceles triangle.
 Right Scalene Triangle: A triangle in which any one of the angles is a right angle and all the
3 sides are unequal, is called a right scalene triangle.
 Obtuse Scalene Triangle: A triangle with an obtuse angle with sides of different measures
is called an obtuse scalene triangle.
 Acute Scalene Triangle: A triangle that has 3 unequal sides and 3 acute angles is called an
acute scalene triangle.

☛Important Notes:

Here is a list of a few points that should be remembered while studying the types of
triangles:

 In an equilateral triangle, each of the three internal angles is 60°.

 The three internal angles in a triangle always add up to 180°.
 All triangles have two acute angles.
 When all the sides and angles of a triangle are equal, it is called an equilateral or equiangular
triangle.
Types of Polygon

A polygon is a two-dimensional closed figure which has at least three straight sides,
three angles, and three vertices. The term 'Poly' means many and the term 'gon' refers
to angle. For example, a triangle has three sides, three vertices, and three angles. So it
can be termed as a polygon. There are many types of polygons. The classification of
polygons is made on the basis of the number of angles, their sides, and also according
to whether a polygon is regular or irregular. 

What are the Different Types of Polygons?

A polygon is a closed shape. There can be any number of sides and angles for a
polygon. Some important terms associated with polygons are vertices, edges,
and diagonals. The sides of a polygon are called edges, the point at which two edges of
a polygon meet are called vertices, and a line segment joining two opposite vertices of a
polygon is called a diagonal. Polygons can be classified based on the number of sides
and the angles. The polygons are classified on the basis of:

 Number of sides
 Angles (Concave or Convex Polygons)
 Measurement of sides and angles (Regular or Irregular Polygons)
 The boundary of the polygons (Simple or Complex Polygons)

Let us look at the types of polygons. 

Types of Polygons Based on the Number of Their Sides

A polygon has a minimum of 3 sides and angles. The table shown below lists
10 polygons and their description based on their number of sides. A polygon that has
more than 20 sides is referred to as 'n-gons'. There is no specific name for a polygon
that has more than 20 sides. It is generally called 'A polygon with n sides.
There are polygons that have more than 15 sides also. Polygons that have more than
20 sides are called n-gons. 
Types of Polygons Based on Their Angles

A polygon can also be classified based on the angles formed by the adjacent sides of a
polygon. The measure of the angle may be less than 180° or more than 180°. Based on
this, the polygons are classified as convex polygons and concave polygons. The interior
angles of an 'n' sided polygon are given by the formula ((n-2)180°)/n.

Convex polygons

These polygons have the measure of their interior angles to be always less than 180°. A
regular hexagon, which has 6 sides can be termed a convex polygon. Also, the vertices
of the convex polygon are protruding or pointing outwards.

Concave polygons

They are the opposite of convex polygons, in which at least one of the interior angles
measure more than 180°. Also, in a concave polygon, the vertices can be pointing both
inwards and outwards. 

The figure given below shows a convex and a concave polygon.

Types of Polygons Based on the Measurement of Sides and Angles

A polygon need not necessarily always have the same measurement of sides and
angles. Thus, polygons can be differentiated on the basis of the measurement of sides
and angles. They are classified as:

Regular Polygon

A polygon that has all equal sides and angles is called a regular polygon. In other
words, regular polygons are equilateral and equiangular. For example, a square has all
of its four sides to be equal and all of its angles are equal to 90°, so a square is an
example of a regular polygon.

Irregular Polygon

An irregular polygon is a figure that has unequal sides and unequal angles. For
example, a rectangle has all of its angles equal to 90° but all four sides are not equal.
So it can be termed as an irregular polygon. 

Types of Polygons Based on the Boundary of Polygon

A polygon may or may not intersect on the boundary. Thus, the types of polygons on
the basis of the boundary of the polygon are given as:

Simple Polygons

A simple polygon is a polygon that does not intersect itself. A simple polygon consists of
one boundary.

Complex Polygons

A polygon that intersects itself and has more than one boundary is called a complex
polygon.