Find the Rotated Cube Shape by Counting Cubes

Hi there, 3D shape detective!

Did you know that when you turn a 3D shape, you are rotating it?

Remember that you can rotate a shape either clockwise, anti-clockwise, towards or away from the viewer or a combination of these:

Clockwise	Anti-clockwise	Towards	Away from

Take a look at these 3D shapes:

a)         b)         c)         d) 

Now look at these same shapes once they have been rotated:

1)         2)         3)         4) 

Can you match each shape to its rotation?

That's right a becomes 1, b becomes 2, c becomes 3, and d becomes 4.

Each of the shapes maintains the same number of sides, faces and corners, but they have moved as we are now looking at the shapes from a different angle.

You can think of it as either we have stayed in the same position but we have turned the shape, or that we have moved positions and are looking at the shapes from a different angle.

In this activity, you will need to be a 3D shape spotter and match the shapes to their rotations.

Pssstt!! Here’s a handy hint to help you reach superstar status: Before you begin matching, look closely at the features of the original shapes (e.g. number of sides, 2D shapes they are made from, length and how wide they are). Once you have identified these key features, it will be much easier to spot the correct rotation.

Let’s get started!