Definition:Cube/Geometry

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Definition

Cube2.png

A cube is a hexahedron whose $6$ faces are all congruent squares.


In the words of Euclid:

A cube is a solid figure contained by six equal squares.

(The Elements: Book $\text{XI}$: Definition $25$)


It has:

$8$ vertices
$12$ edges
$6$ faces


Also known as

The word cube is the common name for regular hexahedron.

Some sources use the term hexahedron, but stricly speaking this defines a more general class of polyhedron.


Also see

  • Results about cubes can be found here.


Historical Note

According to the Pythagorean tradition, the cube was the symbol for the element earth.


Linguistic Note

The word hexahedron derives from the Classical Greek:

hex (ἕξ), meaning six
hedron (a form of ἕδρα), meaning base or seat.


The technically correct plural of hexahedron is hexahedra, but the word hexahedrons can often be found.


Sources