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Secondary 2 · Mathematics
3D shapes · Solids

Space

Before you start, make sure you know: Elements of the plane (Secondary Year 1)
Before you start, make sure you know: Polygons (Secondary Year 1)

Your bedroom is a piece of space. The floor is a plane, the edge where two walls meet is a line, and the corner where the ceiling and two walls come together is a point. By the end of this page you'll be able to say whether a fan's cable and the edge of a wall intersect, are skew, or are parallel.

Points, lines, and planes

A geometric solid, like a box, has three dimensions: length, width, and height.

Comparison of dimensions: a point (0 dimensions), a line (1 dimension), a plane (2 dimensions), and a three-dimensional solid (3 dimensions). point0 dimensions line1 dimension plane2 dimensions solid3 dimensions

How many points, lines, or planes does it take to "pin down" something in space?

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In the world of video game design, objects are defined by their dimensions. State how many dimensions ($1$, $2$, or $3$) the following elements found in a room have: a)…

In the world of video game design, objects are defined by their dimensions. State how many dimensions ($1$, $2$, or $3$) the following elements found in a room have:

  1. a) A stretched headphone cable.
  2. b) A flat monitor screen (ignoring its thickness).
  3. c) A box where you keep console games.
  4. d) A spotlight on the ceiling.
a) Stretched cable b) Flat screen c) Game box d) Spotlight
Solve
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Imagine that the walls, floor, and ceiling of your classroom are planes. State the relative position of: a) The floor plane and the ceiling plane. b) The plane of the…

Imagine that the walls, floor, and ceiling of your classroom are planes. State the relative position of:

  1. a) The floor plane and the ceiling plane.
  2. b) The plane of the whiteboard wall and the plane of the window wall (which is next to it).
  3. c) A line formed by the corner between two walls and the floor plane.
Solve
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We know that given two points in space, exactly one line passes through them. a) How many lines can pass through a single point in space? b) How many planes can contain…

We know that given two points in space, exactly one line passes through them.

  1. a) How many lines can pass through a single point in space?
  2. b) How many planes can contain a single line?
  3. c) What is the minimum number of non-collinear points needed to define a single plane?
a) P b) r c) π P₁ P₂ P₃
Solve

Two lines in space

In the plane, two lines are either parallel or they intersect. In space there is a third possibility: they can never touch without being parallel. Rotate the cube and look for an example:

Relative positions of two lines in space: parallel, intersecting, and skew. parallel intersecting skew
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Look at the edges of this cube and determine the relative position (parallel, intersecting, or skew) of the following pairs of lines containing the edges: a) The line…

Look at the edges of this cube and determine the relative position (parallel, intersecting, or skew) of the following pairs of lines containing the edges:

  1. a) The line passing through points $A$ and $B$ with respect to the line passing through $C$ and $D$.
  2. b) The line passing through $A$ and $B$ with respect to the line passing through $B$ and $C$.
  3. c) The line passing through $A$ and $B$ with respect to the line passing through $G$ and $H$.
E F D C H G A B
Solve
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In space, there are lines that are not parallel but never intersect. These lines are called skew lines. Look at the drawing of the skate ramp and state their relative…

In space, there are lines that are not parallel but never intersect. These lines are called skew lines. Look at the drawing of the skate ramp and state their relative positions:

  1. a) The top edge of the ramp ($r$) and the base line on the ground ($s$).
  2. b) The vertical edge of the handrail ($t$) and line $s$.
r s t
Solve
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Consider a cube or regular hexahedron with bottom base $ABCD$ and top base $EFGH$, where the vertical edges are $AE$, $BF$, $CG$, and $DH$. Identify the relative…

Consider a cube or regular hexahedron with bottom base $ABCD$ and top base $EFGH$, where the vertical edges are $AE$, $BF$, $CG$, and $DH$. Identify the relative positions of the indicated edges:

Perspective representation of a cube with vertices labeled from A to HABCDEFGH
  1. a) Edge $AB$ relative to edge $EF$.
  2. b) Edge $AD$ relative to edge $CG$.
  3. c) Edge $GH$ relative to edge $AB$.
Solve

A line and a plane

Think of a pen (the line) and a sheet of paper (the plane):

  • Contained: the pen lies flat on the sheet.

  • Parallel: the pen is above the sheet without touching it, at the same distance along its whole length.

  • Intersecting: the pen passes through the sheet: it meets it at one point.

Relative positions of a line with respect to a plane: contained, parallel, and intersecting. contained parallel intersecting
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Draw in your exercise book (or describe) the position of a line and a plane in the following cases: a) The line is parallel to the plane (think of a fluorescent light on…

Draw in your exercise book (or describe) the position of a line and a plane in the following cases:

  1. a) The line is parallel to the plane (think of a fluorescent light on the ceiling and the floor).
  2. b) The line is contained in the plane (think of a line painted on the floor).
  3. c) The line intersects the plane (think of a pencil going through a sheet of paper).

You can do it on paper and send a photo with your answer.

Solve
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In a room with perpendicular walls, consider one of the top corners of the ceiling as the origin of points. If we draw an imaginary line across the room from that corner…

In a room with perpendicular walls, consider one of the top corners of the ceiling as the origin of points. If we draw an imaginary line across the room from that corner to the opposite corner of the floor (diagonal of the room):

  1. a) What relative position does this line have with respect to the floor plane?
  2. b) Does this line intersect the line formed by the junction of two side walls? Justify your answer.
  3. c) How many points in common does the diagonal have with the plane of one of the walls?
Solve

Two planes

Two distinct planes can only be parallel (like the ceiling and the floor) or intersecting: when they meet, they always do so along a line (like the two walls that form a corner).

Relative positions of two planes: parallel and intersecting along a line, marked with a thick stroke. parallel planes intersecting: they meet along a line
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In designing an advertising marquee shaped like a right triangular prism, we want to analyse the relationship between its planes. If we consider plane $\pi$ containing…

In designing an advertising marquee shaped like a right triangular prism, we want to analyse the relationship between its planes. If we consider plane $\pi$ containing the lower base of the prism:

  1. a) State which faces of the prism generate planes that intersect plane $\pi$.
  2. b) State which edges of the prism are parallel to plane $\pi$.
  3. c) What 2D shape is formed at the intersection of a lateral face with the plane of the base?
π A B C A' B' C'
Solve
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Imagine you are designing a structure for an adventure park. You have a giant cube whose vertices are labelled as $A, B, C, D$ (lower base) and $E, F, G, H$ (upper base,…

Imagine you are designing a structure for an adventure park. You have a giant cube whose vertices are labelled as $A, B, C, D$ (lower base) and $E, F, G, H$ (upper base, such that $E$ is above $A$, $F$ above $B$, etc.).

If we draw a straight line passing through the midpoints of the edges $AE$ and $CG$, and another straight line connecting the vertices $B$ and $H$:

  1. a) State the relative position of these two lines in space. Justify whether they intersect, are parallel, or are skew.
  2. b) If we draw a plane passing through points $B$, $D$, and $H$, what type of cross-section (2D shape) is formed when cutting the cube?
  3. c) How many edges of the cube intersect the plane defined by face $ADHE$?
A B C D E F G H M₁ M₂
Solve

Cutting a solid

If you cut a solid with a plane (with a knife, for example), the face of the cut is called a cross-section. It is a plane figure.

In a cylinder there are three typical cases:

  • Plane parallel to the bases: the cross-section is a circle equal to the bases.

  • Plane perpendicular to the bases that passes through the axis: the cross-section is a rectangle.

  • Oblique (slanted) plane that doesn't reach the bases: the cross-section is an ellipse, like a "squashed" circle. It is what you see when you cut a paper towel tube diagonally.

Three cuts of a cylinder: parallel to the bases gives a circle, vertical through the axis gives a rectangle, and oblique without touching the bases gives an ellipse. parallel: circle through the axis: rectangle oblique: ellipse

In a cube, depending on the tilt of the plane, you can get a square, a rectangle, a triangle, or a hexagon (regular if the plane passes through the midpoints of six edges).

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A cut is made through a right cylinder of radius $r = 4$ cm and height $h = 10$ cm using a plane. Describe what 2D shape is obtained if: a) The plane is parallel to the…

A cut is made through a right cylinder of radius $r = 4$ cm and height $h = 10$ cm using a plane. Describe what 2D shape is obtained if:

  1. a) The plane is parallel to the bases of the cylinder.
  2. b) The plane is perpendicular to the bases and passes through their centers.
  3. c) The plane is oblique to the bases and does not intersect them.
a) b) c)
Solve
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In a design and technology class, students are building a scale model of a modern building. The central piece is a right regular hexagonal prism. To give it an artistic…

In a design and technology class, students are building a scale model of a modern building. The central piece is a right regular hexagonal prism. To give it an artistic touch, they want to make plane cuts with an electric saw.

  1. a) If the cutting plane passes through three non-consecutive vertices of the top base, describe the shape of the resulting cross-section.
  2. b) Is it possible to make a cut such that the resulting cross-section is a rectangle? What about a square? Describe how the plane should be in each case.
  3. c) If the prism has $12$ base edges and $6$ lateral edges, how many space diagonals (diagonals that do not lie on any face) does this polyhedron have in total?
Solve

Solids of revolution

A solid of revolution is generated by rotating a plane figure $360^\circ$ around a line called the axis. A rectangle rotating about one of its sides generates a cylinder; a right triangle rotating about a leg generates a cone; a semicircle rotating about its diameter generates a sphere.

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Many geometric solids are generated by rotating a plane figure around an axis. These are called solids of revolution. In the drawing you see three objects with their…

Many geometric solids are generated by rotating a plane figure around an axis. These are called solids of revolution. In the drawing you see three objects with their axis of rotation. Identify which figure (rectangle, right triangle or semicircle) generated each of them when rotated around that axis:

  1. a) A cylindrical soda can.
  2. b) A traffic cone.
  3. c) A pétanque ball.
Three solids with their axis of rotation: a cylinder (a), a cone (b) and a sphere (c) a) b) c)
Solve
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Imagine you have a flat metal piece in the shape of a right trapezoid, as shown in the diagram. If we rotate this shape through $360^{\circ}$ around the side measuring…

Imagine you have a flat metal piece in the shape of a right trapezoid, as shown in the diagram. If we rotate this shape through $360^{\circ}$ around the side measuring $8$ cm (the vertical axis):

  1. a) What solid of revolution is generated?
  2. b) Draw a sketch of the resulting solid, indicating its basic elements (radii and height).
360° 8 cm 4 cm 5 cm
Solve

Prisms and pyramids

Solids with all their faces flat (polygons) are polyhedra. The two most common groups are prisms and pyramids.

Elements named in both:

  • Bases: the prism has two; the pyramid, one.

  • Lateral faces: the ones that are not bases.

  • Base edges: those of the bases. Lateral edges: those that join the bases (prism) or reach the apex (pyramid).

  • Height: distance between the two bases (prism) or from the apex to the base (pyramid).

Classification. A prism is right if its lateral faces are rectangles (the lateral edges are perpendicular to the bases); otherwise, it is oblique. A pyramid is right if the apex lies directly above the center of the base. When the base is also a regular polygon, the solid is a regular prism or pyramid. They are named after their base: triangular prism, square pyramid, hexagonal prism…

If the base has $n$ sides:

Solid Faces Vertices Edges
Prism $n + 2$ $2n$ $3n$
Pyramid $n + 1$ $n + 1$ $2n$
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Given a regular square pyramid, we label its base edges as $b_1, b_2, b_3, b_4$ and its lateral edges as $a_1, a_2, a_3, a_4$. State whether the following statements are…

Given a regular square pyramid, we label its base edges as $b_1, b_2, b_3, b_4$ and its lateral edges as $a_1, a_2, a_3, a_4$. State whether the following statements are true or false, giving reasons:

  1. a) Any pair of lateral edges are skew lines.
  2. b) A base edge and the lateral edge originating from one of its endpoints are intersecting lines.
  3. c) Two opposite base edges are parallel to each other.
Solve

Nets

A net is the solid "opened up" flat on a sheet: its faces drawn joined along the edges, so that when you fold along the joints and glue, the solid is assembled. This is how a cardboard box or a pizza box is put together.

To tell which polyhedron it is, look at the figures in the net: the faces that are different polygons from the rest are usually the bases, and the rectangles or triangles around the outline are the lateral faces.

Net of a square pyramid: a central square with a triangle attached to each of its four sides. base 4 triangles

To count the elements of the assembled solid:

  • Faces: all the figures in the net. Here, $1 + 4 = 5$.

  • Edges: each edge of the solid is a border where two sides are glued together. If you add up all the sides of the figures and divide by 2, you get the edges: $(4 + 4 \times 3) \div 2 = 8$.

  • Vertices: they are counted using Euler's formula, $V = A + 2 - C = 8 + 2 - 5 = 5$. The order of a vertex is how many faces meet there: at the apex the 4 triangles meet (order 4), and at each corner of the base, 3 faces (order 3).

Net of the cylinder

A cylinder opens up into two circles (the bases, of radius $r$) and one rectangle (the curved face). The rectangle has height $h$ and, for its length, the perimeter of the base: $2\pi r$. Think of the label on a can of tuna: when unrolled, it's a rectangle.

Net of a cylinder: a rectangle of height h and length 2πr with a circle of radius r attached on top and another on the bottom. 2πr h r

Net of the cone

A cone opens up into one circle (the base, of radius $r$) and one circular sector (the curved face). The radius of the sector is the slant height $g$: the segment that goes from the apex to a point on the edge of the base. The arc of the sector has the same length as the perimeter of the base, $2\pi r$. Since the height $h$, the radius $r$, and the slant height form a right triangle, $g^2 = r^2 + h^2$.

Net of a cone: a circular sector of radius g, the slant height, with a circle of radius r attached to its arc. g r
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Look at the net of this geometric solid. Without performing calculations, answer: a) What polyhedron will be obtained when folding it? Classify it completely. b) How…

Look at the net of this geometric solid. Without performing calculations, answer:

  1. a) What polyhedron will be obtained when folding it? Classify it completely.
  2. b) How many dihedral angles will the solid have once assembled?
  3. c) What is the order of each of its vertices (how many faces meet at them)?
Solve

Dihedral angles and vertices

Two faces of a polyhedron that share an edge form a dihedral angle: it is the angle that one face opens relative to the other, like a book's cover relative to its first page. In a cube all the dihedral angles are right angles ($90^\circ$) and there is one for each edge, that is, 12.

The order of a vertex is the number of faces that meet (come together) at it. In a cube, 3 faces meet at each vertex, so its order is 3.

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A logistics company uses containers shaped like a right trapezoidal prism (the base is an isosceles trapezium). a) Determine the number of right dihedral angles this…

A logistics company uses containers shaped like a right trapezoidal prism (the base is an isosceles trapezium).

  1. a) Determine the number of right dihedral angles this solid has.
  2. b) If we extend the two non-parallel side faces, explain what would happen: Would they intersect in a line? Would they be parallel? What geometric solid would be formed if we cut that new structure with a plane parallel to the base?
  3. c) Check whether a trapezoidal prism with bases of $5$ sides (if it were an irregular pentagonal prism) always satisfies Euler's formula.
Solve

Euler's formula

In every convex polyhedron, Euler's formula holds:

$$C + V = A + 2$$

where $C$ is the number of faces, $V$ the vertices, and $A$ the edges. Solids with a curved surface (cylinder, cone, sphere) are round solids and don't fall under this formula.

The midpoint polyhedron

If in a regular tetrahedron you join the midpoints of its edges, a regular octahedron appears inside.

  • Vertices: one for each edge of the tetrahedron, which has 6. So $V = 6$.

  • Faces: 4 small triangles, one on each face of the tetrahedron (by joining the midpoints of its three sides), and 4 more triangles, one at each vertex of the tetrahedron (around the 3 edges that come out of it). So $C = 8$.

  • Edges: each triangle has 3 sides and each edge is shared between 2 faces: $A = 8 \times 3 \div 2 = 12$.

Let's check Euler: $C + V = 8 + 6 = 14$ and $A + 2 = 12 + 2 = 14$. ✓ It does hold.

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Geometric solids whose faces are all polygons are called polyhedra. In any simple polyhedron, a famous relationship called Euler's formula holds:…

Geometric solids whose faces are all polygons are called polyhedra. In any simple polyhedron, a famous relationship called Euler's formula holds: $Faces + Vertices = Edges + 2$.

Check whether this formula holds for a cube, knowing that it has $6$ faces, $8$ vertices, and $12$ edges. Write down the mathematical calculation.

Solve
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An architect is designing an avant-garde monument that is a convex polyhedron. To verify its structure, they need to check Euler's formula. The monument has $8$…

An architect is designing an avant-garde monument that is a convex polyhedron. To verify its structure, they need to check Euler's formula. The monument has $8$ hexagonal faces and $6$ square faces.

  1. a) Calculate the total number of edges ($A$) of the polyhedron.
  2. b) Using Euler's formula, determine the number of vertices ($V$) that the monument will have.
Solve
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A gift box manufacturer wants to create a special "dual" model. First, they make a regular tetrahedron with edge length $L$. Then, they join the midpoints of all the…

A gift box manufacturer wants to create a special "dual" model. First, they make a regular tetrahedron with edge length $L$. Then, they join the midpoints of all the edges of the tetrahedron to each other.

  1. a) What polyhedron is formed inside by joining these midpoints?
  2. b) Calculate the number of faces, vertices, and edges of the resulting new polyhedron.
  3. c) If the original tetrahedron satisfies Euler's formula ($C + V = A + 2$), show whether the interior polyhedron also satisfies it.
A B C D
Solve

Regular polyhedra

A polyhedron is regular when all its faces are the same regular polygon and the same number of faces meet at every vertex. Only five exist:

Polyhedron Faces Vertices Edges
Tetrahedron 4 triangles 4 6
Cube (hexahedron) 6 squares 8 12
Octahedron 8 triangles 6 12
Dodecahedron 12 pentagons 20 30
Icosahedron 20 triangles 12 30

All five satisfy Euler's formula. For example, the icosahedron: $20 + 12 = 32 = 30 + 2$.

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An archaeologist has found a piece of crystal in the shape of a perfect regular octahedron. To protect it, they decide to build a wooden box in the shape of a cube that…

An archaeologist has found a piece of crystal in the shape of a perfect regular octahedron. To protect it, they decide to build a wooden box in the shape of a cube that fits the vertices of the octahedron exactly.

  1. a) If each edge of the octahedron measures $10 \text{ cm}$, calculate the number of faces, vertices, and edges of the shape and check if Euler's formula holds true.
  2. b) Explain with reasons the relationship between the centers of the faces of the wooden cube and the vertices of the octahedron.
  3. c) If we cut the octahedron with a plane parallel to one of its faces that passes through the exact center of the solid, what polygon do we get in the cross-section?
Center 10 cm Box (Cube) Crystal (Octahedron)
Solve
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We are studying relative positions in space within a complex polyhedron: a regular dodecahedron (12 pentagonal faces). a) Choose any face as plane $\pi$. How many faces…

We are studying relative positions in space within a complex polyhedron: a regular dodecahedron (12 pentagonal faces).

  1. a) Choose any face as plane $\pi$. How many faces of the dodecahedron are parallel to $\pi$?
  2. b) How many edges of the dodecahedron are parallel to a given edge?
  3. c) If 3 faces meet at each vertex of the dodecahedron, and each face has 5 vertices, work out the total number of vertices of the solid (bearing in mind that each vertex is shared).
π
Solve

Diagonals of a solid

A solid has two kinds of diagonals. A face diagonal joins two opposite vertices of the same face. A space diagonal joins two vertices that don't share any face and passes through the interior.

To count them in a cube: each of the 6 faces has 2 diagonals, so there are $6 \times 2 = 12$ face diagonals. The space diagonals join each vertex to its opposite vertex: $8 \div 2 = 4$.

The diagonal of a box with length $a$, width $b$, and height $c$ measures $d = \sqrt{a^2 + b^2 + c^2}$. It comes from applying the Pythagorean theorem twice: first in the base and then with the height.

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An interior designer wants to install a strand of LED lights across a rectangular room that is $6 \text{ m}$ long, $4 \text{ m}$ wide, and $3 \text{ m}$ high. The cable…

An interior designer wants to install a strand of LED lights across a rectangular room that is $6 \text{ m}$ long, $4 \text{ m}$ wide, and $3 \text{ m}$ high. The cable must go from a corner on the floor ($A$) to the opposite corner on the ceiling ($G$).

  1. a) Calculate the minimum length of the cable if it is stretched taut through the interior of the room (the diagonal of the rectangular prism).
  2. b) If the designer decides to run the cable along the walls (without going through the air), what would be the shortest distance between those same two points? (Hint: think about the net of the room).
  3. c) State how many edges of the room are parallel to the line containing the height edge where point $A$ is located.
Solve
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Consider a cheese cube with an edge length of $4 \text{ cm}$. We want to slice it with a very thin knife such that the cross section is a regular hexagon. a) Describe…

Consider a cheese cube with an edge length of $4 \text{ cm}$. We want to slice it with a very thin knife such that the cross section is a regular hexagon.

4 cm cheese cube with a plane cross section forming a regular hexagon4 cm4 cmPlane PRegular hexagonalcross section
  1. a) Describe precisely through which points on the edges of the cube the plane must pass to obtain this hexagon.
  2. b) How many face diagonals does the cube have in total? And how many space (interior) diagonals?
  3. c) If we call the plane containing the hexagon $P$, is there any edge of the cube that is parallel to this plane, or are they all intersecting? Justify your answer.
Solve

Back to the beginning: the cable of a fan (vertical) and the horizontal edge of a wall that doesn't touch it run in different directions and don't meet, so they are skew; if the edge does touch it, they would be intersecting.

Summary

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