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Maths

Maths

3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

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3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

In a nutshell

There are eight main 3D shapes that you need to learn. 3D shapes also have their own parts that can be labelled such as faces, edges and vertices.



Names of common 3D shapes

Here are a list of 3D shapes you need to know.


name

illustration

Cube

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Cuboid

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Sphere

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Cylinder

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Square-based pyramid

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Triangular-based pyramid (also known as a tetrahedron)

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Cone

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices

Triangular prism

Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices



Labelling 3D shapes

There are three important terms to know when dealing with 3D shapes.


name

Definition

Face

A flat (2D) surface on the 3D shape

Edge

A line where two faces meet

Vertex

A point where two or more edges meet


Example 1

How many faces, edges and vertices does a cube have?


By drawing a transparent cube, it can be seen that a cube has:


  • 66faces
  • 1212​ edges
  • 88vertices
Maths; Shapes and area; KS4 Year 10; 3D shapes: faces, edges, vertices



Want to find out more? Check out these other lessons!

3D shapes: Identification and properties

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQs

  • Question: What is the face of a 3D shape?

    Answer: A face of a 3D shape is a flat (2D) surface.

  • Question: What is an edge of a 3D shape?

    Answer: The edge of a 3D shape is a line where two faces meet.

  • Question: What is a vertex of a 3D shape?

    Answer: The vertex of a 3D shape is a point where 2 or more edges meet.

Theory

Exercises

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