# What do you call a three dimensional rectangle?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 22, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700 "2006-02-22T23:27:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/41 "2006-02-24T04:11:11Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> So, for those of you keeping score at home, we now have the following candidates:
> 
> rectangular box  
> rectangular parallelepiped  
> rectangular prism  
> rectangular solid  
> limiting super ellipsoid  
> 3d simplex  
> cuboid  
> hexahedron  
> quader

I’ll go with quader if that’s the consensus but I think rectangloid should have at least made the list of nominees. The election was fixed, I tell ya!

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**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/42 "2006-02-24T15:02:49Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> triangular prism, the scientific term for which is _The Toblerone_.

Heh. you had me going there for a minute.

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**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/43 "2006-02-24T15:09:01Z")

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> [@Suburban Plankton](#):
>
> The definition I find for **3D Simplex** is “A Euclidean geometric spatial element having the minimum number of boundary points”. In 3-D space, this would actually be a tetrahedron.

You’re right. That’s exactly what it is.

I didn’t read very carefully.

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**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/44 "2006-02-24T16:35:27Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Meh. Quader sounds like the name of a politician. Vote Cuboid!

It does occur to me though, that we could call flapjacks “Quader Oats”.  
sorry  
Vote cuboid!

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**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/45 "2006-02-24T16:47:19Z")

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> [@Revenant Threshold](#):
>
> Is this the end of the Anglo-American good relations?

When did that start? 😛

rectangular parallelepiped is what I always heard in math class, rectangular solid is what I most often call such a thing.

Tris

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**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/46 "2006-02-24T17:11:14Z")

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But, isn’t calling it a “rectangular parallelopiped” a bit like calling a (2-D ordinary) rectangle a “rectangular parallelogram”?

What do you call a [del]dog with no legs[/del] three-dimensional rectangle? It doesn’t matter—it won’t come when you call it, anyway.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [February 24, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-call-a-three-dimensional-rectangle/345700/47 "2006-02-24T20:59:44Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> The first four cancel each other out. Sorry, that’s just the breaks.

Beg pardon?

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