The volume of a solid gure is the amount of space it occupies.

We measure volume using cubic

units such as:
the cubic centimetre, written cm
3
,
the cubic metre, written m
3
.
A cubic centimetre is the volume of a cube with edges of 1 cm.
STARTER
1 What do these three cuboids
all have in common?
2 How could you express
the amount of space they
occupy?
3 Three whole-number triples
that multiply to 8 are
{2, 2, 2}, {4, 2, 1} and {8, 1, 1}.
Are there any others?
1 cm
1 cm
1 cm
Volume of cuboids
The formula for the volume (V) of a cuboid is:
Volume (cuboid) = l w h
w
h
l
247 17 Volume and surface area
Example

Calculate the volume of this cuboid.
Answer

Volume = l w h
= 10 6 3
= 180 m
3

6 m
10 m
3 m
A cube is a special kind of cuboid, with l = w = h.
We often use the symbol x for the length of the edge
of a cube. The volume of a cube is x
3
. It is no surprise
that this is said x cubed!
EXERCISE 17.01
1 By counting cubes, work out the volumes of
these gures. Each cube is 1 cm
3
.
a b
2 Calculate the volume for each of these
cuboids. Make sure you use the correct
units!
a

b
c
6 cm
4 cm
3 cm
18 m
2 m
1 m
8.5 m
7.5 m
16 m
3 Calculate the volume of cuboids with these
measurements.
a Length 9 cm, width 2 cm, height 5 cm.
b Length 3 cm, width 2 cm, height 12 cm.
c Length 4 m, width 3.6 m, height 5.1 m.
d Length 80 cm, width 16 cm, height 8 cm.
4 A cuboid has a volume of 90 cm
3
, a length
of 5 cm and a width of 3 cm. Calculate its
height.
5 A cuboid has a volume of 124 m
3
, a width of
5 m and a height of 4 m. Calculate its length.
6 A cuboid has a square base with edges of
6 cm, and has a height of 2 cm. Calculate its
volume.
7 Calculate the volume of each of these cubes.
a b
8 Use the

x
3
key on your calculator to
calculate the edge length for cubes with
these volumes. (If the answer does not come
out exactly then give it correct to 3 dp.)
a 512 cm
3
b 1331 m
3
c 79 cm
3
d 500 000 m
3
6 m
4.9 cm
248 Measurement and Geometry
1 Some alternative volumes are given for each
of these things. Choose the most appropriate
measurement.
a The volume of a large coffee cup.
{300 mm
3
, 300 cm
3
, 300 m
3
}
b The volume of air in your classroom.
{240 mm
3
, 240 cm
3
, 240 m
3
}
c The volume of ink in a ballpoint pen.
{400 mm
3
, 400 cm
3
, 400 m
3
}
2 A sh-tank is in the shape of a cuboid. The
base measures 50 cm by 80 cm, and the
height is 60 cm. Calculate the volume of
water the tank will hold when it is full.
3 A concrete path running from a house to a
clothes-line is 1 m wide by 10 m long. The
thickness of the concrete is 12 cm.
a Write the thickness of the path in
metres.
b Calculate the volume of the path in
cubic metres.
4 One of the rules for public buildings is that
the number of people working in a room is
not to exceed one per 20 m
3
.
A room in a leisure centre measures
12.4 m by 8.3 m, and has a height of
3.1 m. Complete this notice which will be
displayed at the entrance:
INVESTIGATION
Volume conversions
1 Is it true or false that 8 cm = 80 mm?
2 Will the volume of a cube measuring 8 cm
by 8 cm by 8 cm be the same as the
volume of a cube measuring 80 mm by
80 mm by 80 mm?
3 512 cm
3
= 512 000 mm
3
. By dividing these
measurements work out how many mm
3

there are in 1 cm
3
.
4 This table shows some conversions
between volumes in cm
3
and volumes in
mm
3
. Copy and complete it.
5 Calculate the volume of a cube that
measures 4 m by 4 m by 4 m. Also
calculate the volume of a cube measuring
400 cm by 400 cm by 400 cm. Compare
these volumes to work out how many cm
3

there are in 1 m
3
.
6 This table shows some conversions
between volumes in cm
3
and volumes in
mm
3
. Copy and complete it.
EXERCISE 17.02
Council regulation: maximum number of
people permitted in this room is _____
Volume in cm
3
Volume in mm
3
512 512 000
8
89 000
9 000
71 000 000
Volume in m
3
Volume in cm
3
64 64 000 000
2
500
800 000 000
50 000
249 17 Volume and surface area
5 Kathy is digging a hole in the ground to
bury some rubbish. The hole is a cuboid
shape, and measures 80 cm by 60 cm by
40 cm deep. The rubbish will be covered by
10 cm of soil, and compacted so that the soil
is level with the surrounding soil. Calculate
the volume of rubbish that will t in the
hole.
6 The diagram shows a wooden planter box
with outside measurements of 80 cm, 60 cm
and 50 cm. The thickness of each side and
the base is 2 cm. The box is open at the top.
Calculate the volume of soil that will t in
the box if the soil is level with the top of the
sides.
7 The tray on a truck has been designed to
carry top-soil. It is 1.5 m wide.
a Calculate the volume of soil that the
truck can carry if the tray has a full load
which is level with the sides of the tray.
b Calculate the weight of soil carried if the
tray is three-quarters full and if 1 m
3
of
soil weighs 1200 kg.
c The truck can also carry scoria. 1 m
3
of
scoria weighs 1.8 tonnes. Calculate the
weight of a full load of scoria.
8 This is a oor plan for a restaurant. It will be
built on a concrete slab which is 15 cm thick.

a Work out the oor area in m
2
.
b Change 15 cm to metres.
c Calculate the volume of concrete
needed for the foundations.
9 Old railway sleepers are laid out in a
rectangle to form a raised vegetable garden.
The interior measurements are 3.62 m by
4.41 m. The owner ordered 4 m
3
of topsoil
to ll it. Calculate the depth of soil in the
garden.

10 A tank is constructed on a square base of
side 8 m and has vertical sides. The depth
of water is 5 m. A solid cube with edges
of 4 m is placed on the bottom of the tank.
Calculate the rise in the depth of water in
the tank.
60 cm
80 cm
50 cm
3 m
1.5 m
1 m
6 m
8 m
15 m
3 m
5 m
10 m
7 m
12 m
4.41 m
3.62 m
250 Measurement and Geometry
A prism is a solid with two opposite faces that are the same
shape, the same size, and parallel.
Both of these shapes are prisms. In each case the
pair of opposite (or end) faces has been shaded.
The shaded faces also show the cross-section.
The cross-section of a prism is any cut through the
shape parallel to one of the opposite end faces.
The formula for the volume of a prism is:
Volume (prism) = (Area of cross-section) (Distance between the end faces)
Answer

Area of cross-section = 6 4 = 24 m
2
Volume = 24 m
2
5 m
= 120 m
3
Volume of prisms
Example

Calculate the volume of this prism. The cross-
section is in the shape of a parallelogram.
6 m
5 m
4 m A cuboid is a special kind of prism
- the cross-section is a rectangle!
EXERCISE 17.03
1 Calculate the volume of each of these prisms, given the areas of their cross-sections.
a b c
2 Work out the volume of each prism.
You will need to calculate the area of the shaded cross-section rst.
a b c
Area = 15 cm
2
6 cm
Area = 45 m
2
5 m
4 cm
5 cm
6 cm
8 cm
5 cm
4 cm
4 cm
10 cm
2 cm
Area = 80 cm
2
10 cm
251 17 Volume and surface area
d e
3 Complete this table to show the missing area of the cross-section or height for these prisms.
4 cm
6 cm
8 cm
5 cm
6 cm
2 cm
7 cm
3 cm
10 cm
Area of cross-section Height Volume
a 2 cm 24 cm
3
b 45 m
2
450 m
3
c 31 cm
2
539.4 cm
3
d 2.45 m 19.6 m
3
EXERCISE 17.04
1 Cheese is sold in triangular wedges.
Calculate the volume of one of these
wedges.

2 The diagram shows a concrete ramp for
wheelchair access to a building. The ramp
is 1.2 m wide, and rises to a height of 0.6 m
above the ground. The bottom end of the
ramp is 4.8 m from the edge of the building.
4 cm
6 cm
8 cm
y
z
x
a Write down the values of x, y and z (in
that order).
b Calculate the volume of concrete in the
ramp.
3 The diagram shows the planned dimensions
of a swimming pool. The cross-section is a
trapezium shape. Calculate the volume of
earth you would need to remove to build the
pool.

4 This is a model for the inside of a wooden
planter box. What volume of soil will the
box hold if it is lled to the top?

5 The photo shows a sandwich
in a plastic container. The
cross-section is an isosceles
triangle. The lengths of the
edges of the container, from
shortest to longest, are 7 cm,
15 cm and 21 cm. Calculate
the volume of the container.
2 m
12 m
1 m
6 m
20 cm
25 cm
35 cm
80 cm
252 Measurement and Geometry
6 Calculate the volume of this hollow concrete
block.
7 A barn is 15.6 m long. The diagram shows
the cross-section. All measurements are in
metres. Calculate the volume of the barn.

18 cm
26 cm
13 cm 7 cm
7 cm
10 cm
5.4 m
6.6 m
9.6 m
3.9 m
1.5 m
Volume of cylinders
A cylinder is a circular prism. Each end is a circle with a radius labelled r. The height (or length) of
the cylinder is labelled h.
The ends of a cylinder are circles. Therefore, we
use the formula r
2
for the area of the end of
the prism.
Volume of cylinder = Volume of circular prism
= Area of end Distance between ends
= r
2
h
Volume (cylinder) = r
2
h
h
r
Example

Calculate the volume of a cylinder with
radius 4 cm and length 10 cm.

10 cm
4 cm
Answer

Volume = r
2
h
= 4
2
10
= 16 10
= 502.7 cm
3
(4 sf)
253 17 Volume and surface area
1 Calculate the volume of each of the
cylinders with these measurements.
a r = 3 cm, h = 8 cm
b r = 14 m, h = 5.9 m
2 Calculate the volume of these cylinders.
a b
3 A cylinder has a height of 5 cm and a radius
of 2 cm. Calculate its volume.
4 Calculate the volume of a cylinder with
radius 15.29 m and height 49.41 m.
5 A groundsman uses a metal roller lled with
concrete to atten a cricket pitch. Calculate
its volume if it is 1.4 m wide and has a
diameter of 0.9 m.
6 Tunnels for a cable network are drilled
horizontally below the ground. The drill has
a radius of 4 cm. It drills a distance of 55 m.
a Change 55 metres to centimetres.
b Calculate the volume of earth removed
in cm
3
.
7 A timber company sells half-rounds. They
are used to build retaining walls. Calculate
the volume of one of these half-rounds.
8 The Channel Tunnel links England and
France, and was opened in 1995. It is
50.45 km long, and of that distance 38 km is
under the sea. The Chunnel is actually a set
of two parallel tunnels, each approximately
cylindrical with a diameter of 7.6 m, and a
narrower service tunnel in between with
a diameter of 4.8 m. Each of the two main
tunnels contains a single-track railway line,
and all three tunnels are lined with concrete
1.5 m thick.
a Explain why the diameter of each large
tunnel before it was lined with concrete
would have been at least 10.6 m.
b Calculate the diameter of the small
tunnel before it was lined with concrete.
c Estimate the total volume of rubble
removed from the three tunnels during
construction.
d Give two reasons why the actual
amount of rubble dumped would be
higher than the estimate in part c.
9 A gold bar measuring 80 mm by 120 mm by
60 mm is melted down. The gold is poured
into moulds to make gold medallions. The
medallions have a radius of 17 mm and a
height of 3 mm. How many medallions can
be made from the gold bar?
10 A cylindrical hot-water tank is 2 m high and
has a diameter of 0.6 m. When the hot-water
tap is turned on full it drains at a rate of
250 mL per second. How long will it take
before there is no hot water left? Note that
1000 mL of water has a volume of 1000 cm
3
.
11 Calculate the volume of concrete needed to
make a water-pipe that is 250 cm long. The
outside radius is 15 cm and the inside radius
is 13 cm.
EXERCISE 17.05
Give all answers correct to 4 sf
unless they work out exactly.
4 m
2 cm
23 cm
6 cm
0.15 m
1.8 m
TIP
254 Measurement and Geometry
There are two ways in which we
measure volume.
1 Solid shapes have volume
measured in cubic units, for
example m
3
, cm
3
, etc.
2 Liquids have volume
measured in litres or millilitres
(mL).
INVESTIGATION
The Arch of Constantine
The Arch of Constantine is one of the most
famous monuments in Rome. It was constructed
in 315 AD to mark the Emperor Constantines
rise to power. The dimensions of the Arch are as
follows.
Arch: height 21 m, width 25.7 m, depth 7.4 m.
Central archway: height 11.5 m, width
6.5 m.
Side archways: height 7.4 m, width 3.36 m.
The top of each archway is semi-circular.
1 Explain why no depth measurement is given for the archways.
2 The working for an estimate of the volume of empty space under the central archway
starts as follows:
V = 6.5 8.25 7.4 + 0.5 3.25
2
7.4
a Complete the calculation. Give your answer in m
3
to 2 dp.
b Explain why 3.25 is used in the calculation.
c Explain why 8.25 is used in the calculation.
3 Estimate the volume of empty space under one of the side archways.
4 Estimate the volume of the Arch. Explain what you are calculating at each step.
5 Give a reason why it is not possible to calculate the volume exactly.
Liquid volume (capacity)
These two drawings both show the same amount of water.

In the measuring jug we have 1000 mL or 1 litre of

water.

When poured into a container, the water would fill

1000 cm
3
.
10 cm
10 cm
10 cm
200 mL
400 mL
600 mL
800 mL
1000 mL 1 litre
C
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

A
l
l
a
n

C
r
a
w
f
o
r
d
255 17 Volume and surface area
The metric system has many advantages. One is that the units have been chosen to make the link
between mass (weight) and volume easy to understand.
For water, 1 mL weighs exactly 1 g, and 1 litre weighs exactly 1 kg. Therefore, if we know the
volume of water, we can work out its weight.
Example

a Estimate the weight of a 333 mL can
of soft drink.
b How many cans would it take to ll
a container which has a volume of
5000 cm
3
?
Weight/volume conversions for water
Weight Liquid volume Equivalent solid volume
1 g 1 mL 1 cm
3
1 kg 1 litre 1000 cm
3
Answer

a 333 mL of water weighs 333 g. A can of soft
drink would weigh about the same. We can
ignore the weight of the can itself, as it is very
light.
b The volume of liquid in the can is 333 cm
3
.
Divide this into the volume of
the container:
Number of cans = =
=
5000
333
15 015
15
.

EXERCISE 17.06
1 Some alternative measurements are given
for each of these volumes. Choose the most
appropriate measurement.
a A raindrop.
{4 mL, 400 mL, 4 litres, 400 litres}
b A hot-water cylinder.
{500 mL, 5 litres, 50 litres, 500 litres}
c A carton of cream.
{30 mL, 300 mL, 3 litres, 30 litres}
d An electric kettle.
{20 mL, 200 mL, 2 litres, 200 litres}
e A car petrol-tank.
{45 mL, 450 mL, 4.5 litres, 45 litres}
2 Complete these volume conversions.
a 40 cm
3
= ____ mL
b 6000 cm
3
= ____ litres
c 8 litres = _____ cm
3
d 49.7 litres = ____ cm
3
e 800 mL = ____ cm
3
f 45 mL = ____ cm
3
3 Calculate the weight in kilograms of these
amounts of water.
a 3 litres b 46.8 litres
c 600 mL
4 Calculate the weight in grams of these
amounts of water.
a 50 mL b 8 litres
c 788 mL
5
a Calculate the number of litres of water
this sh-tank could hold.
b Calculate the weight of water in the
sh-tank if it was full.
80 cm
50 cm
40 cm
256 Measurement and Geometry
6 A test-tube with a at base has a radius of
1 cm and a height of 11 cm (both are internal
measurements). What volume of water (in
cm
3
) will it hold when full?
7
a What is your body mass?
b What is 60% of your body mass?
c How many litres of water are there in
your body?
8 A round casserole dish has a radius of 10 cm
and a depth of 11 cm. Calculate the amount
of liquid (in mL) that would ll the dish.
(Note that 1 cm
3
= 1 mL.)
9 A circular Para pool is 1.8 m deep. The
greatest distance across it is 5.2 m.
a Calculate the volume of the pool in m
3
.
b Calculate the volume of the pool in
litres. (Note that 1 m
3
= 1000 litres.)
10 A coffee cup holds 250 mL of liquid when
full. How many coffee cups would it take to
ll these containers with liquid?
a A 750 mL wine bottle.
b A 2 litre kettle.
c A kitchen sink measuring 41 cm by
32 cm by 19 cm.
11 A bottle of wine is
labelled 750 mL.
Amanda decides
to check the label
by measuring the
diameter of the
bottle and the height
of wine inside. She
gets values of 8 cm
and 16 cm for these
measurements.
a Estimate the
volume of wine
in the bottle.
Give your
answer in cm
3
.
b Explain whether
the label on the
bottle is likely to
be correct.
12 Water is stored in a large cylindrical
reservoir. The height of the reservoir is 8 m
and the radius is 13 m.
a Calculate the volume of the reservoir to
the nearest cubic metre.
b How much water, to the nearest
thousand litres, would the reservoir
hold when full? (Note that 1 m
3
=
1000 litres.)
c The level of water in the reservoir rises
by 0.4 m. How many litres have been
added?
13 Keith and Sandy have made 6.4 litres of
tomato relish for the school Gala Day. They
have a supply of glass jars with radius
34 mm and height 95 mm (both are internal
measurements). Each jar will sell for $2.50.
How much money will they raise if they sell
all the jars?
14 Altogether a house has
45 m of roof guttering.
The guttering has a
rectangular cross-section
which is 9 cm wide and
6 cm high.
In heavy rain the guttering becomes half-
full. Calculate the weight of water in the
guttering when this happens.
Did you know that about 60% of
your body mass is made up of water?
This means the weight of water for a
person weighing 50 kg would be 30 kg.
Wines
8 cm
16 cm
Product of
NewZealand
750 mL
9 cm
6 cm
257 17 Volume and surface area
15 Toothpaste is squeezed from a cylindrical tube onto
a toothbrush that is 30 mm long. The dimensions of
the tube are length 160 mm and diameter 22 mm.
The opening is 8 mm wide.
a If someone completely covers the brush with
toothpaste three times a day, estimate how long
you would expect the tube to last before it is empty.
b The mass of 1000 mm
3
of toothpaste is 1.25 g. Give an appropriate value for the label x on
the side of the tube.
c Explain whether a cylinder is a suitable model for a tube of toothpaste.
DAZZLE
TOOTHPASTE
8 mm
160 mm
22 mm
x grams
30 mm
PUZZLE
I have suction
Use the clues to work out the cartoon caption.
Do this by matching up the volume in the
rst column with a weight of water in the
second column.
Caption: 1 2 6 11 / 8 3 10 2 6 4 5 / 11 7 10 9 11
Volume Weight of water
1 8 litres A 8000 kg
2 100 litres C 6 g
3 8000 litres E 0.1 kg
4 6 litres H 100 kg
5 100 mL I 80 g
6 80 mL K 0.8 kg
7 10 cm
3
M 60 g
8 60 mL N 6 kg
9 800 mL S 10 kg
10 6 cm
3
T 8000 g
11 10 000 cm
3
U 10 g
Clues:
PUZZLE
Tug of war
Here are the specications for competition-grade hemp
rope, as given by the International Tug of War Federation:
The rope must be not less than 10 cm, or more than 12.5 cm in
circumference, and must be free of knots or other holdings for the
hands. The minimum length of the rope must not be less than 33.5 m.
The density of hemp is 1500 kg per m
3
. This means 1 m
3
of
hemp weighs 1500 kg.
Calculate the lightest possible weight (to the nearest
kilogram) for a competition-grade rope used in tug of war.

P
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
e
r
:

S
u
e

C
o
l
v
i
l

|

A
g
e
n
c
y
:

D
r
e
a
m
s
t
i
m
e
.
c
o
m
258 Measurement and Geometry
The surface area of a solid is the sum of the areas of its faces.
Example
Calculate the surface area of this
triangular prism.
STARTER
Both of these diagrams show sheets or blocks of ice.

P
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
e
r
:

D
a
v
i
d

G
a
y
l
o
r

|

A
g
e
n
c
y
:

D
r
e
a
m
s
t
i
m
e
.
c
o
m
1 cm
8 cm
125 cm
(A)
10 cm
10 cm
10 cm
(B)
1 Explain whether the two pieces have the same volume.
2 Which piece would melt faster if left outside?
3 Each shape has six faces altogether. Calculate the total area of the
six faces for both piece (A) and piece (B).
4 How does your answer to question 3 help explain your answer to
question 2?
5 Why do you think a storage heater is designed with ns?
8 cm
12 cm
8 cm
6 cm
10 cm
Answer

The prism has ve faces (two triangles on the
ends, and three rectangles).
TIP
A good way to visualise surface area is to
look at the net for a shape.
Here is the net for this triangular prism.
8
8
8
8
12 12
10
10
10
6
6
Face Area
Front triangle

1
2
6 8 = 24 cm
2
Back triangle

1
2
6 8 = 24 cm
2
Left rectangle 10 12 = 120 cm
2
Bottom rectangle 6 12 = 72 cm
2
Right rectangle 8 12 = 96 cm
2
Total 336 cm
2
259 17 Volume and surface area
EXERCISE 17.07
1 Calculate the surface area of these shapes.
Each unit on the isometric drawings
represents 1 cm.
a b
2 Calculate the surface area of these shapes.
All measurements are in centimetres.
a b
6
3
5
4
3
5
2
3 This pyramid has a square base. The four
faces that meet at the vertex are isosceles
triangles. Calculate the surface area.

4 This is the net of a cuboid. Calculate the
surface area.

5 cm
4 cm
4 cm
5 This is the net of a triangular prism.
Calculate the surface area.

6 The diagram shows the net of a prism.
Measurements are in centimetres.

a Name the shape of the cross-section.
b Calculate the surface area of the prism.
7 The sides and bottom of a swimming pool
are to be lined with vinyl to prevent the pool
leaking. The pool measures 6 m by 4 m, and
has a uniform depth of 2 m. Calculate the
area of vinyl needed.
8 A block of wood
measures 5 cm
by 10 cm by
60 cm. The
dashed line
shows that it
will be cut into
two pieces with
a saw. The cut
will be parallel to the ends.
a What shape will the cross-section be?
8 cm
5 cm 5 cm
10 cm
3 cm
8
28
10
28
10
28
25
16
8
25
10
10
10 cm
5 cm
60 cm
6 cm
8 cm
3 cm
260 Measurement and Geometry
b Adding the surface areas of the two
pieces will give a different result to the
surface area of the block of wood before
it was cut. Explain why.
c The surface area of the block of wood
before it is cut is 1900 cm
2
. What is
the sum of the surface areas of the two
pieces?
9 The diagram shows a cuboid and a
triangular prism.

a Write down some working to show that
both solids have the same volume.
b Which solid has the greater surface area,
and by how much?
10
a Draw the next cube in this sequence.
Edge length Surface area
1
2 24
3
4

x
18 m
3 m
10 m
10 m
9 m
12 m
13 m
1 2
3
b Complete this table to show the surface
area of cubes with these edge lengths.
1.6 m
800 mm
700 mm
11 What area of glass will be required to
construct this open sh tank? Give the
answer in m
2
.
12 A paddling pool is a cuboid shape,
measuring 2 m by 3 m, with a depth of
0.2 m. The pool is to be lined with square
tiles that measure 20 mm by 20 mm.
a Calculate the area that will be lined with
tiles.
b Work out the number of tiles that will
be needed for the job.
13 A prison cell has no windows. The oor,
door, walls and ceiling will all be painted
the same colour. The cell measures 2.6 m
by 4.2 m by 2.5 m high. A litre of paint will
cover 15 m
2
. Calculate the amount needed
to paint the cell, to the nearest 100 mL.
Draw a diagram and explain your working,
showing all calculations.
261 17 Volume and surface area
The surface area of a cylinder is made up of the curved part and the ends. The ends are two circles.
The curved part unrolls into a rectangle. The base of the rectangle will be the same length as the
circumference of the end circles that is, 2r.
This is easy to see if we draw the net of a cylinder.
PUZZLE
Wine and cheese
Rupert decided to prepare some cubes of cheese for a
wine-and-cheese function. He took a large rectangular
block of cheese and brushed it with a mix of herbs and
peppercorns. Then he cut the block into 1 cm
3
cubes.
When he had nished he had these types of cubes:
eight cubes with the herb mix on three faces,
80 cubes with the herb mix on two faces,
248 cubes with the herb mix on one face only,
240 cubes with no herb mix on any faces.
What were the dimensions of the block before Rupert cut it up?
h
2r
Surface area of cylinders
h
r
r
2r
The surface area of a cylinder = Area of rectangle + Area of circle + Area of circle
= (2r h) + r
2
+ r
2

= 2rh + 2r
2
We can use algebra to simplify this and get:
Surface area (cylinder) = 2r(h + r)
262 Measurement and Geometry
Example

Calculate the surface area of a closed cylinder,
with a radius of 5 cm and a height of 12 cm.

TIP
The surface area of a cylinder depends on whether the ends are included or not. An open cylinder
is often called a . Sometimes only one circular end is included in the calculation. Make sure you
understand what the question is asking.
Answer

Area of curved surface = 2 r h
= 2 5 12
= 377.0 cm
2
Area of both ends = 2 r
2
= 2 5
2
= 2 25
= 157.1 cm
2
Total surface area = 377.0 + 157.1
= 534.1 cm
2
12 cm
5 cm
EXERCISE 17.08
Surface area of curved part of cylinder = 2rh
Surface area (closed cylinder) = 2r(h + r)
1 Calculate the curved surface area of these
open cylinders. This means they have no
ends!
a A cylinder with radius 4 cm and length
20 cm.
b A cylinder with radius 2.1 m and length
6.5 m.
c A cylinder with a diameter of 5.7 cm
and length 9.9 cm.
2 Calculate the surface area of these closed
cylinders.
a
b
TIP
Give all answers correct to 4 sf
unless they work out exactly.
3 A rectangular sheet of metal is curved into
a circular tube to hold newspapers. The
diameter of the tube is 8 cm and the length
is 29 cm. Calculate the area of the sheet of
metal.
4 On a tin of soup, the ends of the label
overlap by 30 mm for gluing together. The
tin of soup has a radius of 41 mm and the
label has a height of 132 mm. Calculate the
area of the label if it is removed from the tin.
20 cm
8 cm
19.8 m
1.1 m
A
L
LIGATO
R
SOUP
400 mL
263 17 Volume and surface area
5 A timber company sells half-rounds. They
are used to build retaining walls. Calculate
the surface area of one of these half-rounds.
0.15 m
1.8 m
6 An oil company makes closed cylindrical
tanks for storing petrol underground. Each
tank has a radius of 2.4 m and a depth of
3 m. Before being installed underground,
a tank is coated with a special sealant to
prevent corrosion. This sealant costs $8.50
per m
2
to apply. The sealing is applied to
the top, the bottom and the sides. Calculate
the cost of coating one of these tanks on the
inside and the outside. Explain what you
are calculating at each step, and show your
working.
PUZZLE
The three cubes
Two cubes each have edges measuring 8 cm. Another cube (shown below) has edges
measuring 4 cm.
Two of the 18 faces are covered completely in glue and the cubes
are placed together. No glue is left on the outside.
1 What is the minimum possible surface area?
2 What is the maximum possible surface area?