EDEXCEL GCSE FOUNDATION MATHS - What are Faces, Edges, and Vertices

Faces, Edges, and Vertices

What are Faces, Edges, and Vertices?

These terms are used to describe the features of 3D shapes.

• Faces: The flat surfaces of a 3D shape.
• Edges: The lines where two faces meet.
• Vertices: The points where three or more edges meet.

Let's look at some examples:

Cube:

• Faces: 6 square faces
• Edges: 12 edges
• Vertices: 8 vertices

       +-----+
      /     /|
     +-----+ |
     |     | |
     |     | +-----+
     |     |/     /
     +-----+-----+

Pyramid:

• Faces: 4 triangular faces + 1 square base
• Edges: 8 edges
• Vertices: 5 vertices

       / \
      /   \
     /     \
    /_______\

Cylinder:

• Faces: 2 circular faces + 1 curved face
• Edges: 2 edges
• Vertices: 0 vertices

       ____
      /    \
     |      |
     \____/

Cone:

• Faces: 1 circular face + 1 curved face
• Edges: 1 edge
• Vertices: 1 vertex

       /\
      /  \
     /____\

Practice:

• Can you identify the faces, edges, and vertices of other 3D shapes like a sphere, prism, or tetrahedron?
• Try drawing a shape and then labeling its faces, edges, and vertices.