[Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/prism.html)

[home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [The school dictionary](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/) / prism

[← P](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/P/)

# prism

«prism» in Mova's school dictionary: **the same flat shape and parallel, joined by flat sides…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a prism, prisms)

### meaning for a pupil

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://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#m2)

### sense 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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x1)
- A cereal box is a rectangular prism. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x2)
- The prism split the sunlight into a rainbow. [tree →](https://md.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://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x4)
- A Toblerone box is shaped like a triangular prism. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/#x5)
- We shone a torch through the prism. [tree →](https://md.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.

### In the corpora

- [A glass prism bends each colour by a different amount and spreads white light into a rainbow of colours.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/84-mirrors-shadows-colours/9/)
- [A prism splits white light into the colours of the rainbow.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/84-mirrors-shadows-colours/20/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prism» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prism/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.