Some shapes are not flat. A dice, a ball and a tin of beans are 3D shapes because they take up space. You can hold them in your hand.
Why this matters: Boxes, tins and balls are 3D shapes. Knowing their names and parts helps you describe objects, pack things neatly and understand how things are built.
The three parts
A 3D shape has three parts to look for:
- A face is a flat surface you could put a sticker on.
- An edge is a line where two faces meet.
- A vertex is a pointy corner where edges meet. (Two or more is vertices.)
| Shape | Faces | Edges | Vertices | Everyday object |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cube | 6 | 12 | 8 | Dice |
| Cuboid | 6 | 12 | 8 | Cereal box |
| Sphere | 1 (curved) | 0 | 0 | Football |
| Cylinder | 3 | 2 | 0 | Tin of beans |
| Cone | 2 | 1 | 1 | Party hat |
| Square pyramid | 5 | 8 | 5 | Tent shape |
A cube, like a dice, has 6 square faces. Count them: top, bottom, and four sides. That is 6.