Watch: Recognising 3D shapes
Lets find out more about recognising 3D shapes.
Recognise and name 3D shapes.
Properties of 3D shapes
A 3D shape is a solid shape. Boxes, packets and balls are all 3D shapes.
3D shapes have three dimensions:
- length
- width
- 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.
Watch: 3D Shapes
3D shapes have three dimensions - length, width and depth.
Watch the video to learn all about 3D shapes, like cubes, pyramids and spheres.
Learn about 3D shapes.
2D shapes are boring. Ah! Not really. But got your attention. Now.
3D shapes, they have 3 dimensions. Length, width and depth. What would the 3D version of a square be? A cube. A cube has 6 square faces which are all the same size.
Whereas cuboids, they're like a stretched cube and have 2 square faces and 4 rectangular faces. Oh yeah. Alright. Please make him stop.
Right, what about triangles? Triangles become pyramids. You're now a square based pyramid with 4 triangular faces and a square face for your bottom. You can get pyramids with different shaped bases. Triangles, pentagons, hexagons, any shape.
And a circle becomes a sphere with just one large, curved face, like a ball. Perfect for, uh, rolling. Strike! I mean…oh come on now.
Shape detective
Take a look at these 3D shapes:
Read the descriptions of each shape to work out which shape each person has.
Question 1
Kirsty has a 3D shape from the group above. It has 5 flat faces. 4 are the same.What shape could it be?
✓ Her shape must be a square-based pyramid.
The base of this shape is a square, which we know from its name. The other four faces are all triangles.
Question 2
Will has a 3D shape from the group above with 12 edges of equal length. What could his shape be?
✓ The only 3D shape with 12 equal edges is the cube.
Question 3
Samir counted the vertices on his 3D shape and found there were 8 vertices.
Which shape does he have if it has different sized faces?
✓ The shapes with 8 vertices are the cube and the cuboid. The cube has 6 faces all the same, but the cuboid has different faces.
Simon’s shape is the cuboid.
Question 4
Vicki has a shape from the group above with only one vertex. What is her shape?
✓ The only shape with just one vertex is the cone.
How many vertices are there on the other shapes that have curved surfaces?
Activity 1
Quiz
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