A prism is a polyhedron with two parallel and congruent faces that are called bases and lateral faces that are parallelograms (usually rectangles). A pyramid is a polyhedron with one polygon for the base and triangular lateral faces.

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Read the introductory text, then scroll down to the animation toward the bottom of the web page. Study each pyramid by using the arrows to rotate the pyramid. Also, observe what happens as the net is folded to create the pyramid.

Source: Geometry 3D Shapes-Prisms, Learner.org

Use the information presented in this interactive sketch to help you fill in the chart below. Move the correct net and number to the appropriate space.

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What relationships do you notice among the number of faces, edges, and vertices for prisms?

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Possible Response

The number of edges of the base is equal to the number of lateral faces.

The number of faces is 1 more than the number of lateral faces.

The number of vertices is equal to the number of edges of the base.

The number of edges of the prism is 2 times the number of edges of the base.

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