如果使用Matlab，如果多边形顶点按顺时针顺序排列，函数ispolycw将返回true。

c#代码实现lhf的答案:

// https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curve_orientation#Orientation_of_a_simple_polygon
public static WindingOrder DetermineWindingOrder(IList<Vector2> vertices)
{
    int nVerts = vertices.Count;
    // If vertices duplicates first as last to represent closed polygon,
    // skip last.
    Vector2 lastV = vertices[nVerts - 1];
    if (lastV.Equals(vertices[0]))
        nVerts -= 1;
    int iMinVertex = FindCornerVertex(vertices);
    // Orientation matrix:
    //     [ 1  xa  ya ]
    // O = | 1  xb  yb |
    //     [ 1  xc  yc ]
    Vector2 a = vertices[WrapAt(iMinVertex - 1, nVerts)];
    Vector2 b = vertices[iMinVertex];
    Vector2 c = vertices[WrapAt(iMinVertex + 1, nVerts)];
    // determinant(O) = (xb*yc + xa*yb + ya*xc) - (ya*xb + yb*xc + xa*yc)
    double detOrient = (b.X * c.Y + a.X * b.Y + a.Y * c.X) - (a.Y * b.X + b.Y * c.X + a.X * c.Y);

    // TBD: check for "==0", in which case is not defined?
    // Can that happen?  Do we need to check other vertices / eliminate duplicate vertices?
    WindingOrder result = detOrient > 0
            ? WindingOrder.Clockwise
            : WindingOrder.CounterClockwise;
    return result;
}

public enum WindingOrder
{
    Clockwise,
    CounterClockwise
}

// Find vertex along one edge of bounding box.
// In this case, we find smallest y; in case of tie also smallest x.
private static int FindCornerVertex(IList<Vector2> vertices)
{
    int iMinVertex = -1;
    float minY = float.MaxValue;
    float minXAtMinY = float.MaxValue;
    for (int i = 0; i < vertices.Count; i++)
    {
        Vector2 vert = vertices[i];
        float y = vert.Y;
        if (y > minY)
            continue;
        if (y == minY)
            if (vert.X >= minXAtMinY)
                continue;

        // Minimum so far.
        iMinVertex = i;
        minY = y;
        minXAtMinY = vert.X;
    }

    return iMinVertex;
}

// Return value in (0..n-1).
// Works for i in (-n..+infinity).
// If need to allow more negative values, need more complex formula.
private static int WrapAt(int i, int n)
{
    // "+n": Moves (-n..) up to (0..).
    return (i + n) % n;
}

这是OpenLayers 2的实现函数。有一个顺时针多边形的条件是面积< 0，这是由这个参考确定的。

function IsClockwise(feature)
{
    if(feature.geometry == null)
        return -1;

    var vertices = feature.geometry.getVertices();
    var area = 0;

    for (var i = 0; i < (vertices.length); i++) {
        j = (i + 1) % vertices.length;

        area += vertices[i].x * vertices[j].y;
        area -= vertices[j].x * vertices[i].y;
        // console.log(area);
    }

    return (area < 0);
}

一些建议的方法在非凸多边形(如新月形)的情况下会失败。这里有一个简单的方法，它可以用于非凸多边形(它甚至可以用于自相交的多边形，如数字8，告诉你它是否主要是顺时针)。

对边求和，(x2−x1)(y2 + y1)如果结果是正的，曲线是顺时针的，如果结果是负的，曲线是逆时针的。(结果是封闭面积的两倍，采用+/-惯例。)

point[0] = (5,0)   edge[0]: (6-5)(4+0) =   4
point[1] = (6,4)   edge[1]: (4-6)(5+4) = -18
point[2] = (4,5)   edge[2]: (1-4)(5+5) = -30
point[3] = (1,5)   edge[3]: (1-1)(0+5) =   0
point[4] = (1,0)   edge[4]: (5-1)(0+0) =   0
                                         ---
                                         -44  counter-clockwise

虽然这些答案是正确的，但它们在数学上的强度比必要的要大。假设地图坐标，其中最北的点是地图上的最高点。找到最北的点，如果两个点相等，它是最北的，然后是最东的(这是lhf在他的答案中使用的点)。在你的观点中，

点[0]= (5,0)

点[1]= (6,4)

点[2]= (4,5)

点[3]= (1,5)

点[4]= (1,0)

If we assume that P2 is the most north then east point either the previous or next point determine clockwise, CW, or CCW. Since the most north point is on the north face, if the P1 (previous) to P2 moves east the direction is CW. In this case, it moves west, so the direction is CCW as the accepted answer says. If the previous point has no horizontal movement, then the same system applies to the next point, P3. If P3 is west of P2, it is, then the movement is CCW. If the P2 to P3 movement is east, it's west in this case, the movement is CW. Assume that nte, P2 in your data, is the most north then east point and the prv is the previous point, P1 in your data, and nxt is the next point, P3 in your data, and [0] is horizontal or east/west where west is less than east, and [1] is vertical.

if (nte[0] >= prv[0] && nxt[0] >= nte[0]) return(CW);
if (nte[0] <= prv[0] && nxt[0] <= nte[0]) return(CCW);
// Okay, it's not easy-peasy, so now, do the math
if (nte[0] * nxt[1] - nte[1] * nxt[0] - prv[0] * (nxt[1] - crt[1]) + prv[1] * (nxt[0] - nte[0]) >= 0) return(CCW); // For quadrant 3 return(CW)
return(CW) // For quadrant 3 return (CCW)

另一个解决方案是;

const isClockwise = (vertices=[]) => {
    const len = vertices.length;
    const sum = vertices.map(({x, y}, index) => {
        let nextIndex = index + 1;
        if (nextIndex === len) nextIndex = 0;

        return {
            x1: x,
            x2: vertices[nextIndex].x,
            y1: x,
            y2: vertices[nextIndex].x
        }
    }).map(({ x1, x2, y1, y2}) => ((x2 - x1) * (y1 + y2))).reduce((a, b) => a + b);

    if (sum > -1) return true;
    if (sum < 0) return false;
}

把所有的顶点作为一个数组;

const vertices = [{x: 5, y: 0}, {x: 6, y: 4}, {x: 4, y: 5}, {x: 1, y: 5}, {x: 1, y: 0}];
isClockwise(vertices);