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# prism

noun (a prism, prisms)

«prism» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A solid shape with two ends that are the same flat shape and parallel, joined by flat sides (rectangles in a right prism). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#m1)
2. A block of glass or clear plastic, often a triangular one, that bends light and splits white light into a rainbow of colours. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#m2)

### In the lessons

In maths geometry, prisms are named by their end shape: triangular prism, rectangular prism (a cuboid), hexagonal prism; pupils count faces, edges and vertices and find volume = area of the end × length. In science, a glass prism shows that white light is a mix of colours. Phrases: triangular prism, rectangular prism, through a prism.

### Examples

- A triangular prism has 5 faces, 9 edges and 6 vertices. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x1)
- A cereal box is a rectangular prism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x2)
- The prism split the sunlight into a rainbow. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x3)
- Find the volume of the prism: the end area is 6 square cm and the length is 10 cm. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x4)
- A Toblerone box is shaped like a triangular prism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x5)
- We shone a torch through the prism. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x6)

### Note

A cylinder has curved sides, so it is not usually called a prism; a pyramid comes to a point, so it is not a prism either. Volume of a prism = area of cross-section × length. Do not confuse with prison.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «prism» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«prism» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/prism.html) on Mova free.