Here is a solid prism. How many faces does the prism have?
How to approach this question
A face is a flat surface of a 3D shape.
1. **Identify the end faces:** The prism has a hexagonal face at the front and another at the back. That's 2 faces.
2. **Identify the side faces:** The prism is formed by connecting the corresponding vertices of the two hexagonal bases. Since a hexagon has 6 sides, there will be 6 rectangular faces connecting them around the outside.
3. **Add them up:** 2 (end faces) + 6 (side faces) = 8 faces.
Full Answer
A prism is a 3D shape with two identical, parallel bases (the "end faces") and flat sides connecting them. The shape of the base gives the prism its name.
In this case, the base is a hexagon (a 6-sided polygon).
- There is one hexagonal face at the front.
- There is one hexagonal face at the back.
- Each side of the hexagon on the front is connected to the corresponding side on the back by a rectangular face. Since a hexagon has 6 sides, there are 6 of these rectangular faces.
Total number of faces = 2 (hexagonal ends) + 6 (rectangular sides) = 8.
Common mistakes
✗ Miscounting the number of sides on the hexagon.\n✗ Forgetting to count the front and back faces.
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