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Perimeter of a Square
Definition: The total distance around the outside of a square
Try this Drag any orange dot to resize the square. The perimeter is calculated as you drag.
(If there is no image below, see support page.)

How to find the perimeter of a square

Like any polygon, the perimeter is the total distance around the outside, which can be found by adding together the length of each side. I the case of a square, all four sides are the same length, so the perimeter is four times the length of a side. Or as a formula:

perimeter = 4S where:
S is the length of any one side

In the figure above, drag any orange dot to resize the square. From the side length shown, calculate the perimeter and verify your result matches the formula at the top of the diagram.

Coordinate Geometry

If you know the coordinates of the vertices of a square, you can calculate all the other properties, including the perimeter. For more on this, see Area and Perimeter of a square (Coordinate geometry)

Related polygon topics

General

Types of polygon

Area of various polygon types

Perimeter of various polygon types

Angles associated with polygons

Named polygons

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