How many degrees are in the sum of the interior angles of a polygon with 5 sides?

To find the sum of the interior angles of a polygon, you can use the formula:

[ \text{Sum of interior angles} = (n - 2) \times 180^\circ ]

where ( n ) is the number of sides in the polygon. For a polygon with 5 sides (a pentagon), you can substitute ( n = 5 ) into the formula:

[ \text{Sum of interior angles} = (5 - 2) \times 180^\circ ]

[ = 3 \times 180^\circ ]

[ = 540^\circ ]

This calculation shows that the correct answer is 540 degrees. It reflects the geometric property of a pentagon where you can visualize it being divided into triangles, confirming the result through multiple methods. Thus, the sum of the interior angles for a 5-sided polygon is indeed 540 degrees.