Recognising 3D Shapes
3D shapes have three dimensions – length, width and depth. 3D shapes have different properties:
Faces – A face is a flat surface on a 3D shape. For example a cube has 6 faces.
Edges – An edge is where two faces meet. For example a cube has 12 edges.
Vertices – A vertex is a corner where edges meet (the plural is vertices). For example a cube has 8 vertices.
Types of 3D shapes
Take a look at these common 3D shapes and their properties:
Sphere
Balls are shaped like a sphere.
Properties:
- 1 curved face
- No vertices
- No edges
Cube
Dice and sugar cubes are shaped like cubes.
Properties:
- 6 faces (all shaped like squares)
- 12 edges
- 8 vertices
Cuboid
Fridges and wardrobes are usually shaped like cuboids.
Properties:
- 6 faces (all rectangular, or a mixture of rectangles and squares)
- 12 edges
- 8 vertices
Square-based pyramid
The pyramids in Egypt look like square-based pyramids. They are called square-based pyramids because the face on the bottom is a square.
Properties:
- 5 faces (1 square and 4 triangular)
- 8 edges
- 5 vertices
Cone
Ice cream cones, traffic cones and birthday hats are shaped like cones.
Properties:
- 2 faces (1 circular at the base and 1 curved)
- 1 edge around the base
- 1 vertex
Cylinder
These look like tubes and toilet rolls.
Properties:
- 3 faces (2 circular and 1 curved)
- 2 edges
- 0 vertices
Tetrahedron
A tetrahedron can also be called a triangular-based pyramid.
Properties:
- 4 faces (all triangular)
- 6 edges
- 4 vertices
Triangular prism
Door stops and tents are examples of triangular prisms.
Properties:
- 5 faces (2 triangular and 4 rectangular)
- 9 edges
- 6 vertices
Prisms have two ends that are the same shape and size.
They have the same cross-section all along the shape. If you cut through them at any point you would see the same 2D shape as at either end.
There are other examples of prisms, including hexagonal prisms, like the one below.
