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Concept
Prism (geometry)
Summary
In geometry, a prism is a polyhedron comprising an n-sided polygon base, a second base which is a translated copy (rigidly moved without rotation) of the first, and n other faces, necessarily all parallelograms, joining corresponding sides of the two bases. All cross-sections parallel to the bases are translations of the bases. Prisms are named after their bases, e.g. a prism with a pentagonal base is called a pentagonal prism. Prisms are a subclass of prismatoids.
Like many basic geometric terms, the word prism () was first used in Euclid's Elements. Euclid defined the term in Book XI as “a solid figure contained by two opposite, equal and parallel planes, while the rest are parallelograms”. However, this definition has been criticized for not being specific enough in relation to the nature of the bases, which caused confusion among later geometry writers.
An oblique prism is a prism in which the joining edges and faces are not perpendicular to the base faces.
Example: a parallelepiped is an oblique prism whose base is a parallelogram, or equivalently a polyhedron with six parallelogram faces.
A right prism is a prism in which the joining edges and faces are perpendicular to the base faces. This applies if and only if all the joining faces are rectangular.
The dual of a right n-prism is a right n-bipyramid.
A right prism (with rectangular sides) with regular n-gon bases has Schläfli symbol { }×{n}. It approaches a cylinder as n approaches infinity.
A right rectangular prism (with a rectangular base) is also called a cuboid, or informally a rectangular box. A right rectangular prism has Schläfli symbol { }×{ }×{ }.
A right square prism (with a square base) is also called a square cuboid, or informally a square box.
Note: some texts may apply the term rectangular prism or square prism to both a right rectangular-based prism and a right square-based prism.
A regular prism is a prism with regular bases.
A uniform prism or semiregular prism is a right prism with regular bases and all edges of the same length.
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