Solid Objects
Grade 4 Mathematics — Lesson Notes (based on Lesson 3: Solid Objects)
1. What are Solid Objects?
Solid objects are three-dimensional (3D) shapes that occupy space and have length, breadth, and
height. They are different from plane (flat) shapes because they have depth as well. Common
examples around us include a dice, a book, a matchbox, a ball, and a juice box.
2. Types of Solid Shapes
A. Cube
A cube is a solid shape whose all faces (surfaces) are equal squares. All sides of a cube are of equal
length.
Examples: Dice, Rubik's cube, cubical box, chalk box
B. Cuboid
A cuboid is a solid shape whose faces are rectangles. The opposite surfaces of a cuboid are equal in
size, but all faces are not necessarily equal (unlike a cube).
Examples: Book, suitcase, juice box, tea box, sweet box
Feature Cube Cuboid
Shape of faces Square Rectangle
Number of faces 6 6
Number of edges 12 12
Number of vertices 8 8
All sides equal? Yes No (opposite sides equal)
3. Faces, Edges and Vertices
Every solid object made up of flat surfaces can be described using three key parts:
• Face: A closed plane (flat) surface of a solid object.
• Edge: The line segment where two faces meet.
• Vertex (plural: Vertices): The point where edges meet (a corner of the solid).
Example: A cuboid ABCDEFGH has 6 faces (ABCD, AEFB, BFGH, CGHD, AEHD, EFGH), 12 edges
(AB, BC, CD, DA, AE, EF, FB, FH, GH, EH, GC, and so on), and 8 vertices (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H).
Remember: For both a cube and a cuboid — Faces = 6, Edges = 12, Vertices = 8.
4. Worked Examples
Example 1: Identifying shapes
Question: Look at a dice, a chalk box, a tea box, and a sweet box. Which are cubes and which are
cuboids?
Solution: The dice and chalk box have all square surfaces, so they are cubes. The tea box and sweet
box have rectangular surfaces with equal opposite sides, so they are cuboids.
Example 2: Naming faces, edges and vertices
Question: Write the faces, edges, and vertices of solid object ABCDEFGH (a cuboid).
Solution:
Faces: ABCD, AEFB, BFGH, CGHD, AEHD, EFGH (6 faces)
Edges: AB, BC, CD, DA, AE, EF, FB, FH, GH, EH, GC (12 edges)
Vertices: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H (8 vertices)
5. Quick Recap
• Solid objects are 3D shapes with length, breadth, and height.
• A cube has 6 equal square faces (e.g., dice, Rubik's cube).
• A cuboid has 6 rectangular faces with equal opposite sides (e.g., book, matchbox).
• Face = flat surface, Edge = line where two faces meet, Vertex = corner point.
• Both cube and cuboid have 6 faces, 12 edges, and 8 vertices.
6. Practice Questions
1 Name two objects from your home that are cube-shaped and two that are cuboid-shaped.
2 How many faces, edges, and vertices does a cube have?
3 Draw a cuboid and label its vertices as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H. Then list its 6 faces.
4 What is the difference between a face and an edge of a solid object?