Primary 4 maths · Geometry · About 10 minutes
Recognise nets of cubes, cuboids, prisms and pyramids
Count hidden as well as visible faces and follow their shared edges.
Start the interactive lesson →Open practice activity
What you will learn
- Recognise nets of cubes, cuboids, prisms and pyramids
Models used: number sentences, stories, diagrams.
Before you start
From flat faces to a solid
A cube has six square faces. Some are hidden when we look from here.
A cube has six square faces. Some are hidden when we look from here.
A new view can hide or reveal faces without changing the solid. A net must reconnect all faces without gaps or overlaps.
A cube with three visible and three hidden faces The flat shapes are the faces of a cube. The joined edges are the folds.
Imagine opening the edges and laying every face flat. This is a net.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. Fold the squares along their joins. Each face meets its neighbours to close the cube.
All six faces close without gaps
What did the picture help us see?
Fold the squares along their joins. Each face meets its neighbours to close the cube.
Worked example: A new example, together
Which solid can be formed by folding this net?
The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
Count hidden as well as visible faces and follow their shared edges.
Each face of a solid appears once in its net and must meet the neighbouring faces correctly.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
Count and name the faces.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. Which solid can be formed by folding this net?
triangular prism
The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
Count and name the faces.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
Two matching triangles and three rectangles close a triangular prism.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
The solid is a triangular prism.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps. The flat shapes are the faces of a triangular prism. The joined edges are the folds.
Check the result against the question we started with.
Check that every edge pairs up and faces do not overlap.
We found triangular prism. Each face of a solid appears once in its net and must meet the neighbouring faces correctly.
Fold along shared edges. Faces close the solid without overlaps or gaps.
Common mistakes to discuss
- Any six squares fold into a cube. A net must fold without overlapping and leave no face missing. Some six-square arrangements fail both tests.
Check your understanding
- Recognise nets of cubes, cuboids, prisms and pyramids
- recognise a solid or its net through its surface structure
- check the answer against the original quantities and units
Explain your reasoning to an adult, then try a fresh question in the interactive lesson. A result from one attempt is not proof of lasting mastery.
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