Pentagonal prism: The base of the prism is shaped like a pentagon.You may have seen a square prism with a different name, it is also called a cube. Square prism: A prism that has a base in the shape of a square.Hexagonal prism: It is a prism with a base in the shape of a hexagon.Triangular prism: The base of the prism is triangular in shape.Based on the shape of the base, prisms can be categorized into the following: The cross section of a prism is the shape obtained when a plane intersects a prism along its axis. Vertex: The corners of a prism where any two edges meet are called vertices.įace: It is a closed, flat surface surrounded by vertices and edges. Elements of a PrismĪ prism can be labeled with its features, which helps characterize them.Įdge: A straight line that connects any two adjacent vertices of a prism is called its edge. It has a rectangular base and is called a rectangular prism. One of the most common examples of a prism is a cuboid.

This means that the lateral faces can either be parallelograms, rectangles, or even squares since all of them have their opposite sides parallel to each other. All the lateral faces are also identical to each other and belong to the class of parallelograms. The faces other than the top and bottom of a prism are called its lateral faces. For example, if a prism has a triangular base it is called a triangular prism. A prism is named after the shape of these bases. The top and bottom faces are identical and are called bases. A prism is a solid shape that is bound on all its sides by plane faces.

Prism scale