--- title: "Edges, vertices, and faces" description: "Identify and describe properties of 3-D shapes including the number of edges, vertices, and faces" canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/edges-vertices-and-faces-mt_Mnodea7mG_ source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/edges-vertices-and-faces-mt_Mnodea7mG_.md retrieved: 2026-11-12 --- > **Agent view.** This is the Markdown twin of the page, for tools and assistants. > When to use this site, and the call that answers each job: https://lightmysky.com/agent-instructions.md > API description (OpenAPI 3.1): https://lightmysky.com/openapi.json · Authentication: https://lightmysky.com/auth.md > Pricing: https://lightmysky.com/pricing.md · Catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms.txt · Full catalog: https://lightmysky.com/llms-full.txt > Every machine-readable file on this domain: https://lightmysky.com/.well-known/ai-catalog.json > Ask for Markdown with `Accept: text/markdown`, a `.md` address, or `?mode=agent`. # Edges, vertices, and faces Identify and describe properties of 3-D shapes including the number of edges, vertices, and faces Subject: Mathematics · Area: Geometry · Ages 6 to 7 Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/edges-vertices-and-faces-mt_Mnodea7mG_ ## Ready when they can - Count the edges, vertices, and faces of common 3-D shapes - Use the terms edge, vertex (vertices), and face correctly - Describe a 3-D shape by its properties (e.g. a cube has 6 faces, 12 edges, 8 vertices) ## Lesson: Faces, Edges, and Vertices A face is a flat part of a solid's surface. Curved parts are not faces here. On a cube, an edge is a straight line where two faces meet. A vertex is a corner where straight edges meet. We call more than one vertex vertices. **Example.** A cube has 6 square faces, 12 edges and 8 vertices. Count edges in groups: 4 around the top, 4 around the bottom and 4 joining them. Count vertices: 4 on top and 4 underneath. Each edge belongs to two faces. Counting all 4 sides of every face counts each edge twice. *(drawing: The cube's six square faces are laid flat. When folded into a cube, two faces share each edge.)* Count each part once, including parts hidden in a picture. Turning a solid does not change its counts. Compare the same kind of part on both solids. A cuboid has 6 rectangular faces: top and bottom, front and back, left and right. To find unchecked faces, count on from the checked number to 6. **Example.** A triangular prism looks like a tent. It has 2 triangle faces and 3 rectangle faces, so 5 faces in all. Each triangle end has 3 edges. Three more edges join the ends, making 9 edges. Each end has 3 vertices, making 6 vertices altogether. **Example.** A square pyramid has one square base and 4 triangle faces. Count the base too: it has 5 faces. Its base has 4 edges. Four more edges go from the base corners to the top point, making 8 edges. It has 4 base vertices and one top vertex, making 5 vertices. **Recap.** Faces are flat, edges are the lines where faces meet, and vertices are the corners. Count each part just once. *Lesson, practice questions and flashcards written for this dataset.* ## Practice 18 questions on this page, each with its working shown. ## Needs first - [3-D shapes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/3-d-shapes-mt_Qcp2d_kuta) - [Comparing 2-D and 3-D shapes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/comparing-2-d-and-3-d-shapes-mt_yGv8doDAmp) ## Opens up - [Sorting 2-D and 3-D shapes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/sorting-2-d-and-3-d-shapes-mt_fEuoBYw6bU) - [Drawing 2-D shapes and making 3-D shapes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/drawing-2-d-shapes-and-making-3-d-shapes-mt_vJUa62bxeR) - [Drawing shapes with given attributes](https://lightmysky.com/learn/mathematics/drawing-shapes-with-given-attributes-mt_zuOGOGFAKb)