Naming 3D Shapes

Faces, edges and vertices

A solid (3D) shape takes up space — it has length, width and height. We describe a solid by three things:

Faces — the flat (or curved) surfaces.
Edges — the lines where two faces meet.
Vertices — the corners (one corner is a vertex).

Counting these lets us name the everyday solids:

A cube has 6 square faces.
A cuboid (a box) has 6 rectangular faces.
A sphere (a ball) has 1 curved surface — no edges, no vertices.
A cylinder (a tin) has 2 flat circles and 1 curved face.
A cone has 1 flat circle and 1 curved face, rising to a point.
A square-based pyramid has a square base and 4 triangular faces.
A triangular prism has 2 triangular ends and 3 rectangular faces.

What the words mean

Faces are the flat surfaces of a solid.
Edges are the lines where two faces meet.
Vertices are the corners.
A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices.
A prism has the same cross-section all the way through.
A pyramid has a flat base and rises to a single point.

A gallery of solids

Step through the sketches. Each is a flat drawing of a 3D solid — a front shape, an offset back shape, and lines joining them to give the "3D" look.