Surely, you know about flat geometric figures so today we are going to talk about solid geometric shapes which are also known as geometric shapes or bodies.
These figures have three dimensions – length, depth, and height. In other words, these figures have volume and we can say that they occupy a place in space.
Index
Principal types of solid geometric shapes
Polyhedrons
The word polyhedron comes from the Greek word “poly” which means many and from “hedron” which means base or seat. We are talking about geometric shapes that have multiple faces and are flat. Among them we have.
Regular polyhedrons
They are known as platonic solids and are characterized as having faces that are all equal. There are five: tetrahedron, hexahedron (cube), octahedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron.
Prisms
Prisms are composed of two polygonal bases, which are the same size and shape, and their lateral faces are parallelograms.
Pyramids
Pyramids are made up of a polygonal face, which is its base, and lateral faces in the shape of triangles.
In real life, we can find so many objects in the shape of polyhedrons, like an ice cube, a pyramid, or a carton of milk.
Characteristics of Polyhedrons
- Face: the faces of a polyhedron are the flat surfaces on the outside of the polyhedron.
- Edge: the edges of polyhedrons are made up of the sides that form each face.
- Vertices: the vertices of a polyhedron are the points where the edges meet. Three faces meet on one vertex.
Round Bodies
There are some solid geometric figures totally made up of curved and flat surfaces. Among those, the most common round bodies we can find are:
Cone
Cone is a round body composed of a circular base and curved surface.
Sphere
Sphere is a completely curved geometric body made up of a curved surface.
Cylinder
Cylinder is a geometric body made up of a curved surface and two flat, circular bases.
We can find many round body shapes in real life objects, like a volcano (cone), a billiard ball (sphere), or a paint bucket (cylinder). 
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Learn More:
- Cylinder: Characteristics, Examples, and How to Calculate Their Area and Volume
- Manipulative Mathematics: How to Construct an Icosahedron with Gummies and Toothpicks
- Geometric Figures and Straight Lines
- What Is a Prism? Solve These Exercises to Find Out
- Geometry and 2D Shapes with the Help of a Tangram
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