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Year 8 Maths — Visualising solid shapes

Count the faces, edges and vertices of a solid, tell flat surfaces from curved ones, and say what a solid looks like from another direction.

Name: ________________________

Before you start

A cube, drawn on flat paper. Find out what each part of it is called.

1234
  1. 1. The top face
  2. 2. The front face
  3. 3. An edge
  4. 4. A vertex

A cube has 6 faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices — and you can only find some of them on the drawing, because three faces and three edges are hidden round the back.

  1. 1.You look straight down on a cylinder standing upright on a table. What shape do you see?

    • a) A circle
    • b) A square
    • c) A rectangle
    • d) A triangle

  2. 2.How many edges does a square pyramid have?

  3. 3.Tap one of this cuboid's vertices.

    Write the number of the part.

    123

  4. 4.Match each solid to the number of faces it has.

    • Triangular pyramid
    • Triangular prism
    • Cube
    • Pentagonal prism
    • Hexagonal prism
    • 4
    • 6
    • 7
    • 8
    • 5

  5. 5.How many edges does a cube have?

  6. 6.How many faces does a triangular prism have?

  7. 7.How many flat faces does a cylinder have?

    • a) 1
    • b) 3
    • c) 0
    • d) 2

  8. 8.Sort each solid by whether every one of its surfaces is flat.

    Groups: Every surface is flat · Has a curved surface

    • Square pyramid
    • Cylinder
    • Triangular prism
    • Cone
    • Sphere
    • Cube

Answer key — Year 8 Maths — Visualising solid shapes

  1. 1. a) A circle
  2. 2. 8
  3. 3. 3 — a vertex
  4. 4. Triangular pyramid → 4; Triangular prism → 5; Cube → 6; Pentagonal prism → 7; Hexagonal prism → 8
  5. 5. 12
  6. 6. 5
  7. 7. d) 2
  8. 8. Cube → Every surface is flat; Cone → Has a curved surface; Triangular prism → Every surface is flat; Sphere → Has a curved surface; Square pyramid → Every surface is flat; Cylinder → Has a curved surface