Type any function and see its shape straight away. Plot up to three at once in three colours to compare them, drag the trace point to read a value off a curve, and see where each one crosses zero.
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Platonic Solids
About this simulation
This simulation shows the five Platonic solids, the only convex solids whose faces are all identical regular polygons with the same number meeting at each corner. Students choose a solid, drag the Explode slider to pull faces apart, switch to wireframe, and show the dual overlay that joins face centers. Readouts count faces, edges and vertices from the drawn mesh and calculate V minus E plus F, which is always 2. Teachers can use it for geometry vocabulary, counting and discovering Euler's formula.
What students can explore
- Select each Solid in turn and write down the Faces, Edges and Vertices readouts.
- Check that V - E + F equals 2 for every solid.
- Drag Explode to pull the faces apart and count them one by one.
- Turn on Dual overlay and see which solid appears inside the cube.
- Switch on Wireframe only to count edges clearly.
Learning objectives
- 1Name the five Platonic solids and count their faces, edges and vertices.
- 2Verify Euler's formula V - E + F = 2 for each solid.
- 3Describe what makes a solid regular.
- 4Identify dual pairs such as the cube and octahedron.
Questions teachers ask
Is the Platonic solids simulation free to use?
Yes. It is completely free and runs in any modern web browser, including on interactive whiteboards, tablets, Chromebooks and phones. There is nothing to install and no sign-up or account is needed.
Why are there only five Platonic solids?
At each corner, the face angles must add up to less than 360 degrees. Only triangles, squares and pentagons can meet in a few combinations that satisfy this, giving exactly five solids.
What is a dual solid?
Joining the centers of a solid's faces gives its dual. The cube and octahedron are duals, as are the dodecahedron and icosahedron, and the tetrahedron is its own dual.
How do I use the Platonic solids simulation?
Choose a solid, read the counts, then try Explode and Dual overlay. Ask students to fill in a table for all five solids and spot the V - E + F pattern.
Embed this simulation
Drop it into your LMS, blog, or class site — free.
<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/platonic-solids-3d-simulation/embed" title="Platonic Solids | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
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