explain geometric figures in your own understanding
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What are Examples of Geometric Shapes in Real Life?
Geometric shapes are practically everywhere. No matter where you look, almost everything is made up of simpler geometry. A truss bridge is made primarily of rectangles, squares and triangles, for example. A snowman is made up of circles, with a cone-shaped carrot nose.
Geometric triangle shape cut out of brick of cheese
These shapes, both two-dimensional and three-dimensional, are incredibly important in the context of learning math too. Providing examples of geometric shapes will teach both you and your students about their function and how to better understand them.
Examples of Geometric Shapes
Here is a list of different geometric shapes, along with a description and examples of where you can spot them in everyday life.
Circle: A round shape with the same radius from a fixed point in the center.
e.g., pizza pie, cookies, wheels of a bike
Square: Four equal straight sides with four right angles
e.g., a garage, square rubber stamps, tiles on the floor
Triangle: Three-sided figure with straight sides
e.g., a slice of pizza, a slice of cheese cut in that shape, a sandwich cut diagonally
Rectangle: Four straight sides with four right angles, different length and width
e.g., apartment buildings, hopscotch board, a book cover, most cell phones
Pentagon: Five straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., The Pentagon, the designs found on soccer balls
Hexagon: Six straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., ice crystals, some snowflakes, beehive cells
Heptagon: Seven straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., covers for a cookie bin, some types of pill boxes
Octagon: Eight straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., stop sign, some umbrellas, UFC ring
Nonagon: Nine straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., lids for some types of cookie bins/containers
Decagon: 10 straight sides, typically of equal length
e.g., certain collectors coins
Trapezoid: Four-sided figure with just one pair of parallel sides
e.g., the trusses on some bridges, a pyramid with the top cut off, a popcorn box
Parallelogram: Four-sided figure with two pairs of parallel sides
e.g., a classic eraser, some purses, the structure of some bridges
Rhombus: A parallelogram with equal length sides
e.g., baseball diamonds, some kites, certain crystals
Star: A multi-sided polygon with points and obtuse angles
e.g., Star of David, star stickers, star necklace, star cookie cutters
Crescent: A curved sickle shape, curved and tapers to a point
e.g., crescent rolls, the moon during certain phases, the curved shape on the flags of Pakistan and Turkey
Oval: A stretched out circle where the radius is shorter on one axis than the other
e.g., eggs, buns for a hot dog, a running track
Semicircle: A circle cut exactly in half along its diameter
e.g., half a cookie, half a pizza pie, other incomplete circles
Cylinder: A three-dimensional figure with parallel sides and a circular cross-section
e.g., cardboard inside a paper towel, a straight pipe, a drinking glass
Prism: A three-dimensional figure where one pair of opposite sides are the same shape, connected by straight, parallel sides
e.g., cardboard box, cameras, cereal box, Toblerone box
Pyramid: A three-dimensional figure with one flat side and edges emerging to come together at a point
e.g., the Great Pyramid of Giza, roof of a house