People often come across the pyramid and prism shaped things but they get confused about what shape it is. The properties and characteristics of these shapes are not known in the day to day life. They are often confused with one another.
A pyramid is a three dimensional structure known to have one base which is polygonal in shape and has triangular aides joined at a vertex known as apex. A prism, on the other hand, is a 3D structure having two bases and rectangular sides.
Pyramid vs Prism
The main difference between pyramids and prisms is that a pyramid is a three-dimensional polyhedron shaped structure with a single base that is polygonal in shape and is attached to the sides of the pyramid, the sides of the pyramid are always triangular. On the other hand, a prism is also a 3D polyhedron with two bases that are identical to each other, the sides of a prism are perpendicular to its base and the cross-section is the same across all sides in the prism.
Comparison Table Between Pyramids and Prisms
| Parameter of Comparison | Pyramids | Prisms |
| Basic definition | A pyramid is a three dimensional polyhedron shaped structure with only one polygonal base and has triangular sides. | A prism is a three dimensional polyhedron characterized by two bases which are polygonal in shape and rectangular sides perpendicular to the base. |
| Number and shape of the bases | A pyramid has only one base which is polygonal in shape. | A prism contains two bases which are also polygonal. |
| The shape of the sides | The sides of a pyramid are triangular in shape joined at a point known as the apex. | The sides of a prism are always rectangular in shape and are perpendicular to the base. |
| Presence of an apex | A pyramid is characterized by the presence of an apex. | Prism does not have an apex. |
| Types | There are different types of pyramids depending on the shape of its base such as the Triangular Pyramid, hexagonal pyramid, pentagonal pyramid, etc. | In prisms, the type is determined by the shape of its base. Some types are triangular prism, pentagonal prism, hexagonal prism, etc. |
What is a Pyramid?
A pyramid is a three dimensional polyhedron structure having only one base which is in the shape of a polygon. It always has triangular shaped sides. All the sides of the pyramid are always joined with one another at a point which is known as a vertex or an apex. A pyramid always has an apex which is located just above the center of the base.
There are different types of pyramids based on the shape of their bases. Some of them are the triangular pyramid, pentagonal pyramid, hexagonal pyramid and so on. One of the most important real life examples of the pyramid is the great pyramids of Giza located in Egypt. They are characterized by most of their weight lying close to the ground.