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<!doctype html> <html lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8">  <title>Spinning Cube</title> <meta name="description" content="A box-shaped 3D object with six identical square faces. Go to Surface Area or Volume. Notice these interesting things:">  <script>reSpell=[["liters","litres"],["meters","metres"]];</script> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/hexahedron.html"> <script type="application/ld+json"> { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebPage", "url": "https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/hexahedron.html", "name": "Spinning Cube", "description": "A box-shaped 3D object with six identical square faces. Go to Surface Area or Volume. Notice these interesting things:", "image": "https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/images/cube-hdr.png", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Math Is Fun", "url": "https://www.mathsisfun.com" }, "mainEntity": { "@type": "Article", "headline": "Spinning Cube", "description": "A box-shaped 3D object with six identical square faces. Go to Surface Area or Volume. Notice these interesting things:", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rod Pierce" }, "image": "https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/images/cube-hdr.png" } } </script> <meta property="og:title" content="Spinning Cube"> <meta property="og:description" content="A box-shaped 3D object with six identical square faces. Go to Surface Area or Volume. Notice these interesting things:"> <meta property="og:type" content="article"> <meta property="og:site_name" content="Math is Fun"> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/hexahedron.html"> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.mathsisfun.com/geometry/images/cube-hdr.png"> <meta name="keywords" content="math, maths, mathematics, school, homework, education"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, user-scalable=yes"> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true"> <meta name="referrer" content="always"> <link rel="preload" href="../images/style/font-champ-bold.ttf" as="font" type="font/ttf" crossorigin> <link rel="preload" href="../style4.css" as="style"> <link rel="preload" href="../main4.js" as="script"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../style4.css"> <script src="../main4.js" defer></script> </head> <body id="bodybg"> <div id="stt"></div> <div id="adTop"></div> <header> <div id="hdr"></div> <div id="tran"></div> <div id="adHide"></div> <div id="cookOK"></div> </header> <div class="mid"> <nav> <div id="menuWide" class="menu"></div> <div id="logo"><a href="https://www.mathsisfun.com/"><img src="../images/style/logo.svg" alt="Math is Fun"></a></div> <div id="themeChg"></div> <div id="search" role="search"></div> <div id="linkto"></div> <div id="menuSlim" class="menu"></div> <div id="menuTiny" class="menu"></div> </nav> <div id="extra"></div> <article id="content" role="main">  <h1 class="center">Cube</h1> <p class="center large">A box-shaped <a href="solid-geometry.html">3D</a> object with six identical square faces.</p> <p class="center"><i>Go to <a href="#Area">Surface Area</a> or <a href="#Volume">Volume</a></i></p> <div class="script" style="height: 450px;"> images/polyhedra.js?mode=cube</div><br> <div class="def"> <div class="head">Cube Facts</div> <p><b>Notice these interesting things:</b></p> <div class="floatRt"><img src="images/cube.svg" alt="hexahedron hdr" height="139" width="138"></div> <ul> <li>It has 6 faces</li> <li>It has 12 edges</li> <li>It has 8 vertices (corner points)</li> <li>Each face has 4 edges (and is a <a href="square.html">square</a> )</li> <li>At each vertex 3 edges meet</li> <li>It is one of the <a href="../platonic_solids.html">Platonic Solids</a></li> </ul> </div> <p> </p> <div class="words"> <p>A cube is also a <a href="regular-polyhedra.html">regular</a> <b>hexahedron</b>, from the Greek 'hexa-' meaning 6, because it is a <a href="polyhedron.html">polyhedron</a> with 6 faces.</p> </div> <p> </p> <p style="float:left; margin: 0 10px 5px 0;"><img src="images/pair-dice2.svg" alt="pair dice" height="108" width="197"></p> <p>Cubes make great <b>6-sided dice</b> because they are regular in shape, and each face is the same size.</p> <p>In fact we can make <a href="fair-dice.html">fair dice</a> using all of the Platonic Solids.</p> <p> </p> <table style="border: 0;"> <tr> <td><a href="cube-model.html">Make your own Cube</a>:<br> cut out the shape and glue it together.</td> <td><a href="cube-model.html"><img src="images/cube-model-thumb.svg" alt="Cube Model Template" height="173" width="130"></a></td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <p class="center"><img src="images/salt-crystals.jpg" alt="salt crystals" height="187" width="200"><br> Salt crystals naturally grow in cube-like shapes,<br> because the atoms link up as corners of a cube.</p> <h2 id="Area">Surface Area</h2> <p>The surface area of a cube is the total area of all six square faces:</p> <p class="center"><b>Surface Area</b> = 6 脳 (Edge Length)<sup>2</sup></p> <div class="example"> <h3>Example: <span class="center">Edge Length</span> = 4</h3> <div class="tbl"> <div class="row"><span class="left"><span class="center">Surface Area</span></span><span class="rtlt"><span class="center">= 6 脳 (Edge Length)<sup>2</sup></span></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt"><span class="center">= 6 脳 4<sup>2</sup></span></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt"><span class="center">= 6 脳 16</span></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt"><span class="center">= 96</span></span></div> </div> </div> <h2 id="Volume">Volume</h2> <p class="center"><b>Volume</b> = (Edge Length)<sup>3</sup></p> <div class="example"> <h3>Example: <span class="center">Edge Length</span> = 4</h3> <div class="tbl"> <div class="row"><span class="left"><span class="center">Volume</span></span><span class="rtlt">= (Edge Length)<sup>3</sup></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= 4<sup>3</sup></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= 4 脳 4 脳 4</span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= 64</span></div> </div> </div> <div class="example"> <div class="floatRt"><img src="images/cube1.jpg" alt="cube" height="235" width="250"></div> <h3>Example: this cube is <b>0.5 meters</b> on each side, what is its volume?</h3> <p>Ignoring the slight rounding on edges:</p> <div class="tbl"> <div class="row"><span class="left"><span class="center">Volume</span></span><span class="rtlt">= (Edge Length)<sup>3</sup></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= (0.5 m)<sup>3</sup></span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= 0.5 m 脳 0.5 m 脳 0.5 m</span></div> <div class="row"><span class="left"> </span><span class="rtlt">= 0.125 m<sup>3</sup></span></div> </div> <p>Since 1 m<sup>3</sup> equals 1000 liters this is also equal to <b>125</b> liters.</p> </div> <p> </p> <div class="questions">855, 856, 857, 858, 1822, 1823, 1835, 1836, 1837, 1838</div> <div class="related"> <a href="../cuboid.html">Cuboids</a> <a href="polyhedron-models.html">Animated Polyhedron Models</a> <a href="hypercubes.html">Hypercubes</a> <a href="../platonic_solids.html">Platonic Solids</a> </div>  </article> <div id="adend" class="centerfull noprint"></div> <footer id="footer" class="centerfull noprint"></footer> <div id="copyrt">Copyright © 2025 Rod Pierce</div> </div> </body>  </html>