Visual aids can help us understand volume formulas, but they can also make things confusing for students trying to learn about 3D shapes. Here are some problems that can happen:

1. Shapes Are Hard to Picture: 3D shapes like prisms, cylinders, cones, and spheres can be tough to imagine when they are shown flat. For example, it might be hard to tell the difference between a cylinder and a cone when looking at them from different sides. This can lead to misunderstandings about their volume formulas.

2. Too Much Focus on Diagrams: When students rely too much on pictures, they may end up memorizing formulas instead of understanding them. For example, they might remember that the volume of a cone is $V = \frac{1}{3}\pi r^2h$ just because they saw a picture, without really knowing how that formula connects to the shape.

3. Getting It Wrong: If students don’t understand the scale, sizes, or labels in diagrams, they might use the formulas incorrectly. This can be especially frustrating during tests.

To help with these issues, students should use hands-on activities along with visual aids, like:

• Building Models: Making physical versions of the shapes can help understand them better.
• Using Interactive Software: Programs that let students play around with 3D shapes can show how volume changes when the sizes change.

These strategies can help students understand better and connect what they see with the math behind it.