3D Shapes
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Starter
Name each of the shapes.
Here are some words to help you:
Triangular prism
Sphere
Cylinder
Cuboid
Hexagonal prism
Square based pyramid
Cone
Triangular based pyramid
Hexagonal based pyramid
Cube
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3D Shapes
LO: To identify the properties of 3D shapes.
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Faces of 3D shapes are flat. In other words they are 2D shapes.
How many faces does a sphere have?
0 - It has a curved surface
How many faces does a cone have?
It has 1 face (and one curved surface)
How many faces does a cylinder have?
It has 2 faces (and one curved surface)
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The faces are the flat surfaces on the shape.
The edges are the lines where the faces meet.
The vertices are where the edges meet at a point.
How many faces does a cube have?
6
Face How many edges does a cube have?
12
How many vertices does a cube have?
Edge Vertex 8
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Example
Here is a pentagonal-based pyramid.
(a) How many faces does the shape have?
(b) How many vertices does the shape have?
(c) How many edges does the shape have?
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Exercise A
1. (a) For each 3D shape below, write down how many edges, faces and vertices it has.
Set your answers out in a table.
Solid Vertices Faces Edges
(a)
(b)
(b) Try to find a formula linking the number of (c)
vertices, faces and edges in each solid.
(d)
2. A solid ‘star’ shape is created by gluing a (e)
square-based pyramid, in which each edge is of
(f)
length 1 unit, precisely onto each face of a cube
of edge 1 unit. How many faces does this ‘star’ have? (g)
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Exercise A
1. (a) For each 3D shape below, write down how many edges, faces and vertices it has.
Set your answers out in a table.
Solid Vertices Faces Edges
(a)
(b)
(b) Try to find a formula linking the number of (c)
vertices, faces and edges in each solid.
(d)
2. A solid ‘star’ shape is created by gluing a (e)
square-based pyramid, in which each edge is of
(f)
24 length 1 unit, precisely onto each face of a cube
of edge 1 unit. How many faces does this ‘star’ have? (g)
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You should have discovered in the previous exercise that
F+V=E+2
This is known as Euler’s Formula. It is named after the Swiss Mathematician, Leonhard Euler.
Here are a hexagonal prism and an icosahedron.
Check that Euler’s formula works for both of these shapes.
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Exercise B
1. How many faces, edges and vertices does this shape have?
Check that Euler’s formula works.
2. A solid square-based pyramid has all of its corners cut off, as
shown. How many edges does the resulting shape have?
3. A tetrahedron is a solid figure which has four faces, all of which
are triangles. What is the product of the number of edges and the
number of vertices of the tetrahedron?
4. The base of a pyramid has 𝑛 edges. In terms of 𝑛, what is the
difference between the number of edges of the pyramid and the
number of its faces?
5. The football shown is made by sewing together 12 black
pentagonal panels and 20 white hexagonal panels. There is a join
wherever two panels meet along an edge.
How many joins are there?
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Exercise B
1. How many faces, edges and vertices does this shape have?
Check that Euler’s formula works.
2. A solid square-based pyramid has all of its corners cut off, as
shown. How many edges does the resulting shape have? 24
3. A tetrahedron is a solid figure which has four faces, all of which
are triangles. What is the product of the number of edges and the
number of vertices of the tetrahedron? 24
4. The base of a pyramid has 𝑛 edges. In terms of 𝑛, what is the
difference between the number of edges of the pyramid and the
number of its faces? 𝑛 − 1
5. The football shown is made by sewing together 12 black
pentagonal panels and 20 white hexagonal panels. There is a join
wherever two panels meet along an edge. 90
How many joins are there?
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In each set, can you match up in pairs the polyhedra with the same values for F, V and E?
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And Finally …
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Starter
This is an ordinary 1 to 6 die, where the numbers on opposite faces
have a total of 7.
A small piece of putty has been placed on one vertex of the die.
(a) The die is rotated without lifting it off the paper. Write the correct numbers for each blank
face.
(b) The dice is lifted and placed onto its side face. It is then rotated without lifting it again.
Write the correct numbers on each blank face.
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Isometric
Drawings
LO: To represent a 3D object using isometric drawings.
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For each group of three shapes can you spot the odd-one out
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For each group of three shapes can you spot the odd-one out
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Drawing a Cube on Isometric Paper
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Draw this object on Isometric
paper
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How many different shapes can you make using 4 cubes?
Draw each of them on isometric paper.
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Here are seven of the eight shapes. What doe the eighth one look like?
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There are several different ways of drawing the same shape.
Are these all of the possibilities?
Can you draw the shape in a different way that is not
shown here?
How many different ways are there?
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How many different solids can you make out of 5 cubes?
Rotations of a solid already found are considered identical and are not counted. However,
reflections of a solid that are not rotations are considered as being separate solids.
These are two different solids!
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Some of the solids made out of 5 cubes
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Look at shapes A, B, C and D.
Decide which of the shapes A, B, C
and D are the same as the shapes below.
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Starter
Here are some shapes made from cubes.
Match the shapes into pairs so that each pair
fits together to make a cube.
Which shape is the odd one out?
Challenge: Can you draw the shape that
would fit with the odd one out to make a cube?
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Plans & Elevations
LO: To identify plans & elevations of 3D shapes.
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The Plan view is the ‘overhead’ view of a
shape or area
They are often used by estate agents to
show customers the layout of a building
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The ‘front elevation’ is the view if you were Front
standing directly in front of the object or building
elevation
The ‘side’ elevation is the view from the side of
the object
Side
elevation
It is not always obvious which way round these
are – pay attention to the question!
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Technical drawing
Front elevation Side elevation
Plan
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Plan
Front elevation
Side elevation
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Example 1 Plan View
Decide which of the views below is either a plan,
front elevation or side elevation of the object
shown.
Side Elevation
Front Elevation
A B C
Front Elevation Plan Side Elevation
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Example 2
Plan View
Decide which of the views below is either a
plan, front elevation or side elevation of the
object shown.
Side Elevation
Front Elevation
C
A B
Side Elevation Front Elevation Plan
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Plan View
Example 3 Decide which of the views below is either a
plan, front elevation or side elevation of the
object shown.
Side Elevation
Front Elevation
C
A B
Front Elevation Side Elevation Plan
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Plan View
Example 4 Decide which of the views below is either a
plan, front elevation or side elevation of the
object shown.
Front Elevation Side Elevation
A B C
Side Elevation Front Elevation Plan
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Which shape are these elevations and plan for?
Front elevation: Side elevation: Plan view:
A: B: C:
Front Side Front Side Front Side
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Which shape are these elevations and plan for?
Front elevation: Side elevation: Plan view:
A: B: C:
Front Side Front Side Front Side
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Which shape are these elevations and plan for?
Front elevation: Side elevation: Plan view:
A: B: C:
Front Side Front Side Front Side
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Which shape are these elevations and plan for?
Front elevation: Side elevation: Plan view:
A: B: C:
Front Side Front Side Front Side
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Example 5 Plan View
Draw each view of
this shape.
Front Elevation
Side Elevation
Front Elevation
Side Elevation
Plan
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Example 6
Draw each view of this shape.
Plan
Front
elevation
Side
elevation
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Exercise C
1. Draw the following shape as viewed from the 3 sides indicated.
(a) (c)
(b)
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Exercise C
1. Draw the following shape as viewed from the 3 sides indicated.
(a) (c)
(b)
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2. The front elevation of a solid shape is a circle.
The side elevation of the solid shape is a rectangle.
The plan view of the solid shape is a rectangle.
Write down the name of the shape.
3. The front elevation of a solid shape is a triangle.
The side elevation of the solid shape is a triangle.
The plan view of the solid shape is a circle.
Write down the name of the shape.
4. The front elevation of the solid shape is a triangle.
The side elevation of the solid shape is a triangle.
The plan view of the solid shape is a square.
Write down the name of the shape.
5. Here are the front and side elevations of a solid shape.
(a) Draw the plan view of the shape.
(b) Draw a sketch of the solid shape.
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And Finally …
The diagram shows a solid object.
(a) In the space below, sketch the
front elevation from the direction
marked with an arrow.
(b) In the space below, sketch the plan of the solid object.
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Starter
These diagrams show different solids when viewed from directly above.
Describe what each solid could be. (there may be more than one correct response).
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Nets
LO: To find nets for 3D shapes.
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A net shows what a 3D solid could look like if ‘unfolded’ and laid out flat
Example 1
Can you name the 3D solids with these nets?
Square-based Triangular
Cube Cylinder
pyramid prism
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Example 2 P
P
Here is the net of a 3-D shape.
The net is folded to make the 3-D shape.
Two other places meet at P.
Mark each of these places with the letter P.
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Example 3
Using the grid provided with 1 square = 1 cm, draw an accurate net of the triangular prism.
5cm
3cm
6cm
4cm
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Which four of these are not nets of a cube?
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Exercise D
1. Match the 3D solids with their net 2. Sketch nets for each of these 3D solids.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
3. Name each of the solids in question 2.
4. Draw accurate nets for these 3D shapes.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
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Exercise D
1. Match the 3D solids with their net 2. Sketch nets for each of these 3D solids.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
3. Name each of the solids in question 2.
4. Draw accurate nets for these 3D shapes.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
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5. The net is folded to make a cube. 7. Here are several nets which may or may
Two other vertices meet at P. not make cubes. Identify which nets will
Mark each of these vertices with a P. make a cube.
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
6. The net shown is folded to make a (e)
dodecahedron. Label the face
which is opposite the shaded one
8. For the nets that did make a cube in Q7,
state which of the faces was opposite
face A on the cube.
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5. The net is folded to make a cube. 7. Here are several nets which may or may
Two other vertices meet at P. not make cubes. Identify which nets will
Mark each of these vertices with a P. make a cube.
P (a) (b)
P P
(c) (d)
6. The net shown is folded to make a (e)
dodecahedron. Label the face
which is opposite the shaded one
8. For the nets that did make a cube in Q7,
state which of the faces was opposite
face A on the cube.
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And Finally …
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Some nets of shapes to make:
These could be printed out and cut out to make.
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Tetrahedron
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Cube
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Octahedron
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Dodecahedron
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Icosahedron
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Starter
Which 3D solid do each of these nets make?
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Planes of
Symmetry
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A plane of symmetry divides a three dimensional shape into two congruent halves that are
mirror images of each other.
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Example
Identify all the planes of symmetry of a cuboid.
A cuboid has 3 planes of symmetry
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Can you explain why the plane shown is not a plane of symmetry?
This is similar to the situation for the
rectangle which does not have a line
of symmetry through its diagonal.
Reflection through the diagonal
produces a kite.
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A square based prism
A square based prism has 5 planes of symmetry.
Can you identify where the 5 planes of symmetry are.
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Square 5 Planes of
based symmetry
prism
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Exercise E
Questions
State the number of planes of symmetry for each shape
1 2 3
4 5 6
7 8 9
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Exercise E
Questions
State the number of planes of symmetry for each shape
1 2 3
6 2 1
4 5 6
Infinite 5 1
7 8 9
4 3 2
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Exercise F 4. Which of the cuts marked on these 3D shapes
are along planes of symmetry?
1. Which of these have a plane of symmetry?
5. Look at the drawings. They show three ways
of cutting a cuboid in half.
Mug Phone Hand Which cut A, B or C is not
along a plane of symmetry?
2. Look at the solid letter T.
It has two planes of symmetry.
Which of the other letter has 6. Sue cuts two wooden letters
(a) only 1 plane of symmetry along a plane of symmetry.
(b) 2 planes of symmetry The drawings show a half of
(c) 3 planes of symmetry? each letter.
What are the two letters?
7. Look at the shapes.
(a) One of them has only
one plane of symmetry.
3. How many planes of symmetry do these letters Which is it?
have? (b) One of them has exactly
two planes of symmetry.
Which is it?
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8. The shapes are made from 1 cm cubes. 14. The shape are made from plastic tubes.
(a) How many planes of symmetry
has shape A?
(b) How many planes of symmetry
has shape B?
9. For each of the following, state the number of
planes of symmetry.
(a) (b) (a) Which has only one plane of symmetry?
(b) Which has exactly two planes of
symmetry?
10. The four shapes are made
from 1 cm cubes.
Write down the letters of the
shapes which have only one
plane of symmetry.
12. Look at the cuboid.
One of the cuts P, Q and R
is along a plane of symmetry.
Which is it?
13. How many planes of
symmetry has this prism?
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And Finally …
A regular Tetrahedron has 6 planes of symmetry.
Can you identify all 6 planes of symmetry?
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Regular Tetrahedron: 6 planes of symmetry
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