Welcome net detective, we’ve got a puzzle just for you!
Look at the following 3D shape:
It is a triangular-based pyramid.
If we unfold it, it could look like this:
We call this a net.
A net is made of 2D shapes which fold together to make a 3D shape.
These nets could also fold together to make a triangular-based pyramid:
Let's try another now.
Imagine that the following net is folded together:
What would it look like?
a) b)
c)
d)
Did you choose option d?
This is the only net from these options that can be folded together to make a square-based pyramid.
Here are some common 3D shapes and their nets:
Shape Name | Image of Shape | Image of Net |
Triangular prism | ![]() |
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Cube | ![]() |
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Cuboid | ![]() |
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Cylinder | ![]() |
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Triangular-based pyramid | ![]() |
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Square-based pyramid | ![]() |
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It’s now your turn to visualise folding nets together to see what shape they will make.
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Pssstt!! Here’s a handy hint to help you reach superstar status: If it helps, you can draw the net on a piece of paper and fold it together. |
Good luck, 3D shape superstar!