What are Shapes Mathematics?

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Children perceive various shapes from a young age, even if they are unaware that the figures have names. The specific qualities of each shape, such as the number of sides or how the shape appears, take longer for young children to master. Preschoolers benefit from a lot of shape training to reinforce their knowledge of two-dimensional structures. In primary classes, students learn different shapes, and they can recognise different shapes. In Geometry, shapes represent the outline or boundaries of an object. A point, line, and plane are the three pillars of geometry that aid in constructing a shape. 

Point, Line and Line segment

A point is an ambiguous term that usually refers to a specific location. A dot (.) is a symbol used to represent a point. The dimension of the point is zero. A line is an indefinite term, but we can describe it as a straight arrangement of points. A line has one dimension. The line segment is a line made up of two endpoints, such as the left and the right endpoint (say A and B). In two-dimensional space, a plane is a flat surface. Apart from this, terminologies like angle and vertex are widely employed to describe the formation of a shape. We can see a variety of geometric shapes in our daily lives, such as a triangle, circle, cube, cone, and so on.  

Generally, the shapes can be classified into regular and irregular shapes.

  • All the side lengths and the internal angles are of the same measurements characterise regular shapes.
  • Different length sides and different interior angles characterise an irregular shape.

Apart from this, the shapes are broadly categorised into two. They are as follows:

  • Flat Shapes
  • Solid Shapes

Now, let us learn these two different types of shapes in Mathematics.

Flat Shapes

Shapes with only two dimensions, such as length and breadth, are called two-dimensional shapes. We can calculate the area and perimeter of any two-dimensional figure. The area is the amount of space occupied by flat objects, whereas the perimeter is the length of a shape’s outline. For example, we can calculate the area and perimeter for different 2D shapes.

Solid Shapes

Three-dimensional shapes have three dimensions: length, breadth, and height. Like 2D shapes, we can calculate the surface area and volume for solid shapes. The whole area of a solid-shaped surface is known as surface area, while the total space filled by 3D objects is called volume. Solid shapes are also known as 3D shapes. Cuboid, cone, cylinder and so on are examples of three-dimensional shapes. 

Children who have a strong understanding of shapes will better comprehend numbers and how they appear. Children learn to recognise different shapes by using intellectual capabilities. They also discover how to compare diverse shapes and group ones that are similar. Those observational talents can be applied to a variety of situations. In science, perception and categorisation are essential skills. As a result, students must master number recognition before moving on to more sophisticated mathematical calculations such as addition, subtraction, and so on.