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What are the Characteristics of a Polyhedron?

A polyhedron is a three dimensional solid geometric figure. The word comes from the Greek "poly," meaning many, and the Indo-European "hedra," meaning faces or seats. Polyhedra and polyhedrons are both correct plural forms of the word polyhedron.

Polygon
- A polygon is a flat shape with any number of straight sides. It does not have to be symmetrical. Squares, rectangles, triangles and octagons are all examples of polygons.
Joining the Polygons
- A polyhedron's edges are the lines where two faces, or polygons, meet. A vertex is the point where three or more faces intersect.
Form of a Polyhedron
- A collection of polygons joined at their edges forms a polyhedron. All of its faces are flat and straight. There are no round edges or curved surfaces. A polyhedron is a three-dimensional collection of polygons.
Examples of Polyhedra
- We use polyhedra every day. The pattern on a soccer ball's cover, dice, cubes, boxes, prisms, pyramids and many gemstones are polyhedra.

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