type the correct answer in the box. use numerals instead of words. a plane intersects a prism to form a…
type the correct answer in the box. use numerals instead of words. a plane intersects a prism to form a cross - section that is a polygon with five sides. the minimum number of sides that the polygon at the base of the prism must have is
Answer
Explanation:
Step1: Understand cross - section concept
A cross - section of a prism is formed by the intersection of a plane and the prism. The number of sides of the cross - section is related to the number of faces the plane intersects.
Step2: Analyze the relationship
The minimum number of sides of the base polygon of a prism to get a 5 - sided cross - section occurs when the plane intersects 5 faces of the prism. For a prism, the minimum number of sides of the base polygon to allow a plane to intersect 5 faces is 3. When the base is a triangle (3 - sided polygon), a non - parallel plane can intersect 2 lateral faces and 3 base - related faces to form a 5 - sided cross - section.
Answer:
3