Prisms and pyramids

In your book, Maths Mela (Chapter 1), Diksha makes models of solid shapes from nets. Some of her models are prisms and some are pyramids. Let us see how to tell them apart.

A prism has two matching end faces, the same shape and the same size, facing each other. Rectangles join the two ends all the way round. A triangular prism has 2 triangle ends and 3 rectangles. A square prism has 2 square ends and 4 rectangles. A hexagonal prism has 2 hexagon ends (six sides each) and 6 rectangles. So the face shape that every prism has is the rectangle.

A pyramid has only one base. All its other faces are triangles, and all the triangles lean in and meet at one point at the top. A square pyramid has 1 square base and 4 triangles. A pentagonal pyramid has 1 pentagon base (five sides) and 5 triangles. A triangular pyramid has a triangle for its base too, so all 4 of its faces are triangles. The face shape that every pyramid has is the triangle.

Is a cube a prism? Yes! A cube has two matching square ends, joined by 4 more squares, and a square is a special kind of rectangle. So a cube is a square prism.