Convex hull of a simple polygon

The convex hull of a simple polygon (blue). Its four pockets are shown in yellow; the whole region shaded in either color is the convex hull.

In discrete geometry and computational geometry, the convex hull of a simple polygon is the polygon of minimum perimeter that contains a given simple polygon. It is a special case of the more general concept of a convex hull. It can be computed in linear time, faster than algorithms for convex hulls of point sets.

The convex hull of a simple polygon can be subdivided into the given polygon itself and into polygonal pockets bounded by a polygonal chain of the polygon together with a single convex hull edge. Repeatedly reflecting an arbitrarily chosen pocket across this convex hull edge produces a sequence of larger simple polygons; according to the Erdős–Nagy theorem, this process eventually terminates with a convex polygon.