Polyhedron facts for kids
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A polyhedron is a cool 3D shape in geometry. Think of it like a solid object with flat sides, straight edges, and sharp corners. The word "polyhedron" comes from Greek words meaning "many faces."
Mathematicians have slightly different ideas about what makes a polyhedron. But generally, it's defined by how many faces or edges it has.
What's in a Name?
Polyhedra often get their names from how many flat faces they have. Here are some common ones:
- A tetrahedron has four faces. These faces are usually triangles.
- A pentahedron has five faces. It can look like a pyramid with a four-sided base.
- A hexahedron has six faces. A regular hexahedron is a cube.
- A heptahedron has seven faces. This can be a prism based on a pentagon, or a pyramid based on a hexagon.
Images for kids
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A skeletal polyhedron (specifically, a rhombicuboctahedron) drawn by Leonardo da Vinci to illustrate a book by Luca Pacioli
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The tetrahemihexahedron, a unique polyhedron with four triangular faces (red) and three square faces (yellow). Like a Möbius strip, you can travel along its surface and reach the "other side" without crossing an edge.
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Convex polyhedron blocks on display at the Universum museum in Mexico City
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Full icosahedral symmetry divides the sphere into 120 triangular domains.
See also
In Spanish: Poliedro para niños
