How Many Sides Does a Pyramid Have?
To answer the question "how many sides does a pyramid have?" one must first ask, "what type of pyramid?" In geometric terms, a pyramid with 4 sides is known as a square pyramid. A square pyramid has 4 sides, 8 edges, and is the most common structure for a pyramid.
In this type of a pyramid, the 8 edges are formed when each of the 4 triangular faces meet on the sides, and another 4 edges are created when these triangular faces touch the square base at the bottom of the pyramid. The square pyramid structure is most commonly seen in architecture, throughout the world, as in the Mayan pyramids and the hundreds of pyramids in Egypt.
Another type of pyramid is a triangular pyramid, which has a triangular base and three triangular sides. This type of pyramid has 6 edges. Three edges are created when the three triangular faces meet, and another 3 are created when these edges meet the triangular bottom. This type of pyramid is also known as a tetrahedron, and each of the faces is an equilateral triangle.
Another, even less common form of pyramid is known as a pentagonal pyramid. The base of the pyramid is a pentagon, and these pyramids have 5 triangular faces. This pentagonal pyramid has 10 edges, 5 that are created when the triangular faces meet each other, and 5 created when the faces meet the sides of the pentagon at the bottom.
In each of these instances, the pyramid has 3, 4, or 5sides, if you are not counting the bottom. If the bottom is counted as a side, then these pyramids have 4, 5, or 6 sides respectively. Many refer to sides rather as "faces," which would not include the base, or the bottom of the pyramid. Pentagonal pyramids have 5 faces, square pyramids have 4 faces, and triangular pyramids have 3 faces.
How Many Sides Does a Pyramid Have?
To answer the question, "How many sides does a pyramid have?" one must understand which type of pyramid is being examined.
A pyramid, when not otherwise specified, refers to a square pyramid. A square pyramid most commonly has 4 sides, or faces, as seen with the great pyramids of Egypt and the Mayan pyramids. These sides may be smooth, as with the pyramids in Egypt, or they may feature steps, as with many of the Mayan structures. In these structures, the base of the pyramid is square, and each of its sides of a triangle meeting at a point at the top of the structure.
In the Egyptian pyramids, these 4 sides come to a point at the top or apex, which may be topped with the capstone or pyramid on. It is believed the top of the pyramid, where these 4 sides came to a point, was made of pure gold in the Great Pyramid and with some other pyramids. These tips were most likely the first objects of looters, given their tremendous value.
In the case of the Mayan pyramid, these 4 faces do not meet at a point. Rather, the top of these pyramids is truncated, leaving the top of the pyramid as a flat, raised platform upon which temples were erected to the Mayan gods. These flat tops do not change the essential structure from being a pyramid, and were considered to be at the heart of Mayan worship.
When the sides of Egyptian pyramids are measured and reviewed, archaeologists commonly refer to these pyramids having 5 sides, because they include measurements of the pyramid's base in their calculations. The Great Pyramid of Giza, or the Pyramid of Khufu, is often measured as follows:
- Base Length: 230 meters (722 feet)
- Height: 146.5 meters (481 feet)
- Side Slope: 51° 50'
As seen by these calculations, the faces and the base of a pyramid are of equal importance in the discussion of the sides of a pyramid.
Thus, the answer to "How many sides does a pyramid have?" can change depending on the pyramid.