Solids around us – which everyday objects are which solid
Solids aren't just pictures in a textbook. They are everywhere around us – you only have to look. Below is a list of objects to help you spot where each solid hides.
Sphere – everything completely round
A sphere is a solid with no flat faces, edges, or vertices. It looks the same from every side.
⚽ football
🏐 volleyball
🍊 orange
🌍 globe
a Christmas bauble
a marble
Cube – everything with equal square faces
A cube has six equal square faces. The edges always have the same length.
🎲 die
🧊 ice cube
a sugar cube
a Lego brick
Cuboid – boxes of all sizes
A cuboid has six rectangular faces. Different sides have different lengths.
📦 shoebox
📕 book
🧱 brick
a freezer or fridge
an aquarium
a pencil case
Cylinder – cans and tubes
A cylinder has a circle on top and bottom and a smooth "wave" around it.
🥫 can
🥛 glass
a pencil
a candle
a rolling pin
a wooden log
Cone – everything pointy with a circle on the bottom
A cone has a circle on the bottom and is pointy on top.
🍦 ice-cream cone
🎉 paper party hat
a traffic cone (orange, on the road)
the top of a pointy roof
a witch's hat
Pyramid – pyramids and pointy roofs
A pyramid has a square at the bottom and four triangles rising up to one vertex.
🛕 Egyptian pyramid
the top of an obelisk
some tower roofs
Prism – tents and roofs
A triangular prism has two triangles in front and back, and three rectangular faces between them.
⛺ tent
🍫 Toblerone chocolate
the slope of a house roof
a glass prism
A game: go and look
Try looking around your room and find at least one object for each solid. Remember:
not every object is exactly a solid – a ball is not a perfect sphere, a die has slightly rounded edges. We're looking for similarity, not a perfect shape.
some objects are made of several solids. For example, a house has a cuboid (walls) + a prism (roof). A pencil is a cylinder + a cone (the tip).
