Nets of Solids (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Maths): Revision Note

Nets of Solids

What is a net of a solid?

• A net of a solid is a 2D drawing that can be cut out and folded to make a 3D shape

• Each of the faces of the 3D shape are arranged in a certain pattern

  • Not every arrangement of the faces will create a net of that solid   

  • Solids can have more than one arrangement that will work to make the 3D shape

• The area of the net of a 3D shape is the same as the surface area of the solid

What does the net of a cube or cuboid look like?

• The net of a cube has 6 squares connected at certain edges

• There are 11 different arrangements of the square faces that will form a net of a cube

• The most common and easiest to remember is in the form of a cross

• A cuboid has 6 rectangular faces, so its net consists of 6 rectangles

• The rectangles will be in three pairs of two 

• There are 54 different possible nets of a cuboid

  • Again, the most common and easiest to remember is in the form of a cross

  • Pay attention to which rectangles are the same

    • They are colour-coded in the diagram below

What does the net of a cylinder look like?

• The net of a cylinder consists of two circles and a rectangle

• The length of the rectangle is equal to the circumference of the circles

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• The width of the rectangle is equal to the height of the cylinder

What does the net of a pyramid look like?

• The net of a square-based pyramid consists of one square and four congruent (identical) triangles

  • The perpendicular height of each triangle is equal to the slant height of the pyramid