Sixteen-Sided Regular Polygon, Ross Surface Form

This is one of the models of plane figures (surface forms) designed by William Wallace Ross, a school superintendent and mathematics teacher in Fremont, Ohio. The flat unpainted wooden object is in the shape of a regular polygon with sixteen sides. On the opposite side from the paper label, it has eight straight lines drawn joining opposite vertices, dividing the polygon into 16 equal triangles. The lines meet at a point. The label reads: POLYGON OF 16 SIDES.

In constructing his visual demonstration of the area of a circle, Ross built several regular polygons, and showed that they had areas equal to the sum of the area of triangles with height equal to the radius of an inscribed circle and sides equal to the sides of the polygons. In other words, the area of the regular polygon equaled half the perimeter of the polygon times the radius of the inscribed circle.

This is the example for a 16-sided figure. Compare 1985.0112.200 and 1985.0112.201. For the circle, see 1985.0112.203. For further information about Ross models, including references, see 1985.0112.190.

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