Regular polytope impossible ("not constructible"). The simplest few regular polygons that are impossible to construct are the "n"-sided polygons with "n" equal to 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 18, 19, 21... Constructibility in this sense refers only to ideal constructions with ideal tools. Of course reasonably accurate approximations can be constructed by a range of methods; while theoretically possible constructions may be impractical. Euclid's "Elements" gave what amount to ruler-and-compass constructions for the five Platonic solids. (See, for example, Euclid's Elements.) However, the merely practical question of how one might draw a straight line in space, even with a ruler, might lead
Regular polygon "n"-gon, the sum of the perpendicular distances from any interior point to the "n" sides is "n" times the apothem (the apothem being the distance from the center to any side). This is a generalization of Viviani's theorem for the "n"=3 case. The circumradius "R" from the center of a regular polygon to one of the vertices is related to the side length "s" or to the apothem "a" by For constructible polygons, algebraic expressions for these relationships exist; see Bicentric polygon#Regular polygons. The sum of the perpendiculars from a regular "n"-gon's vertices to any line tangent to the circumcircle