Video Transcript
What is the name of the shape? Is it a pyramid, a cylinder, a cube, or a prism?
Let’s take a look at each of these four shape names and see which one is the best fit, starting with the pyramid. In a pyramid, the faces meet to form a point at the top. In our shape, there is not a single point at the top. This shape is not a pyramid. How about a cylinder? The bases of a cylinder are circles. None of the faces on this shape are circles. That means this shape cannot be called a cylinder. In a cube, all six faces are squares. And that is true for this shape. That means the name of this shape is a cube because it fits the definition.
Before we finish though, let’s stop for a second and talk about the word prism. A prism is a solid object with identical ends and flat faces. This shape is a solid object with identical ends and flat faces. A cube is a type of prism. But our question asks for the name of the shape. And when we name something, we want to be as specific as we can. And that’s why we would prefer to call this shape a cube instead of a prism because it is more specific. That makes it a better answer choice. The name of this shape is cube.
