arranging series of fencing panels into irregular Polygon/circle

[mike760]

I want to arrange a series of fencing panels into a circle/polygon. There are 13 total panels. 12 of them are 12' long and 1 is 6' long. There is a half inch gap in between each panel. The panels are made from 1.625" diameter tube. How would I calculate the angles in the irregular polygon to accommodate for the shorter panel?

 

[tkhunny]

How would you do it if you had all 12 at 12'?

 

[mike760]

Well, I would start with (12-2) * 180 and then divide that by 12 I think. My issue is that I have a total of 13 sides with 12 of them being equal 12' length sides and one of them being 6' in length.

 

[stapel]

I want to arrange a series of fencing panels into a circle/polygon. There are 13 total panels. 12 of them are 12' long and 1 is 6' long. There is a half inch gap in between each panel. The panels are made from 1.625" diameter tube. How would I calculate the angles in the irregular polygon to accommodate for the shorter panel?

What formulas or methods have you been given in your textbooks or class notes? How far have you gotten in applying this information?

(By the way, were this a "real world" actual fence, it is quite possible that the "real world" answer would not match the "ideal" math-class answer!)

Also, what are the constraints on the construction? Are you supposed to be maximizing the area enclosed? Getting "close" to a circular formation (and, if so, how is "close" defined)?

Thank you!

 

[tkhunny]

How close could you get if you played like you had 25 6' pieces?