Question and Answer: Cuboid or Prism

This time the Question and Answer section deals with the question when and how to use the term cuboid or Prism, with reference to the Sensorial Material.

The article first gives the explanation given by Mario Montessori in 1977 and is expanded by Camillo Grazzini and Baiba Krumins.

"...Each 'step' of the broad stair, as well as each rod of the long stair, can be called a: geometric solid; polyhedron, hexahedron; (special) prism; (special) parallelepiped; (special) cuboid. All of these terms are correct and exact; the only difference is that some are more general and others more specific. We can always choose one or another according to the context; in other words, which one is more appropriate in the present context?"