ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:Did you know that there are 138 known pyramids in Egypt, all of them thousands of years old? Just like this one, the magnificent Pyramid of Giza. It's the largest Egyptian pyramid of all, and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing. I love pyramids!He picks up a paper pyramid from his desk.ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:This one has a square base, and four triangular faces converging to a single point at the top. This one has a triangular base, and three triangular faces. And this one has a hexagonal base, and six triangular faces. Let's see what other interesting shapes and structures we can find.He presses a button on a wooden box on his desk and is transported elsewhere.ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:Wow! New York City! And the headquarters of the United Nations. This iconic building is actually a rectangular prism. With four rectangular faces that connect two identical rectangular bases.He presses a button and is transported elsewhere.ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:And this indestructible-looking place is the Pentagon, home to the United States Department of Defense. The Pentagon is another example of a prism - a pentagonal prism, in fact, with five rectangular faces connecting two identical pentagonal bases. Correction! Strictly speaking, the Pentagon is not a prism as it has a big hole in the middle of it. But you get the idea.He presses the button and is transported elsewhere. A clocktower chimes.ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:Ah, London! And look at that - the London Eye. A giant Ferris wheel on the bank of the River Thames. It has two identical circular bases, joined together by one continuous curved surface. No rectangular faces like the prisms - this is a cylinder.He presses the button again.ED LEMBKE-HOGAN:Home sweet home. Australia Square has been an exclamation mark on Sydney's skyline for nearly 40 years, and is another great example of a cylindrical structure. But do you know what, you don't have to travel the world to find interesting shapes and structures - they're all around us, every day. I'm off to see what other shapes and structures I can spot in my own neighbourhood. Why don't you do the same?
