Book 3B Chapter 7

(page 7.20 - 7.27)

Circular Cones
Circular Cones
The figure shows a circular cone.
A circular cone does not have
uniform cross-sections.

1. A circular cone has only one

base and one vertex.

2. The base is a circle.

3. The distance from the vertex to any point on the

circumference of the base is called the slant height of
the cone.
4. The perpendicular distance between the vertex and the
base is the height of the cone.
 A circular cone with equal slant heights
is called a right circular cone.

In a right circular cone, the line joining the vertex to the centre
of the base is perpendicular to the base.
 Volumes of Right Circular Cones
Consider a regular pyramid.
If the number of sides of its base increases
indefinitely, what kind of shape will the baseCircle
become?

The regular pyramid eventually becomes a right circular

cone.
From the formula for the volume of a pyramid,
we can deduce the formula for the volume of a right
circular cone:
1
Volume ofVolume cone   base area  height
of a pyramid
a right circular
3
In fact, for any circular cones,

1 2
volume of a circular cone   r h
3

base area   r 2
Refer to the right circular cone on the right.
Volume of the cone
9 cm
1
    5 2  9 cm3 r = 5 cm, 5 cm
3 h = 9 cm

 75  cm3
Follow-up question
Find the volumes of the following right circular cones in terms
of π.
(a) 6 cm (b)
16 cm

7cm
12 cm
Solution
(a) Volume of the cone
1
    6 2  7 cm3
3
 84  cm3
Follow-up question
Find the volumes of the following right circular cones in terms
of π.
(a) 6 cm (b)
16 cm

7cm
12 cm
Solution
(b) Volume of the cone
2
1  12 
       16 cm3
3  2
 192  cm 3
The figure shows a right circular cone of V
base radius 8 cm and slant height 17 cm.
Find 17 cm
(a) the height of the cone,
(b) the volume of the cone. O A
8 cm
(Give your answers correct to the nearest
integer if necessary.)

(a) Consider right-angled triangle VOA.

VO 2  OA 2  VA 2 (Pyth. theorem)
VO  17 2  8 2 cm
 15 cm
∴ The height of the cone is 15 cm.
The figure shows a right circular cone of V
base radius 8 cm and slant height 17 cm.
Find 17 cm
(a) the height of the cone,
(b) the volume of the cone. O A
8 cm
(Give your answers correct to the nearest
integer if necessary.)

(b) Volume of the cone

1
    8 2  15 cm3
3
 1005 cm3 (cor. to the nearest integer)
Follow-up question
The figure shows a right circular cone of B O
height 12 cm and slant height 15 cm.
Find 15 cm
(a) the base radius of the cone, 12 cm
(b) the volume of the cone. V
(Give your answers correct to the nearest
integer if necessary.)
Solution

(a) Consider right-angled triangle VOB. B O

VO 2  OB 2  VB 2 (Pyth. theorem) 15 cm
12 cm
OB  15 2  122 cm
V
 9 cm
∴ The base radius of the cone is 9 cm.

(b) Volume of the cone

1
    9 2  12 cm3
3
 1018 cm3 (cor. to the nearest integer)
Total Surface Areas of Right Circular Cones
The surface of a right circular cone is composed of a base
and a curved surface.

Total surface area of  curved surface area  base area

a right circular cone
 How can we calculate the curved
surface area of a right circular cone?

Therefore, the curved surface

Finally, wethe
getcone
areaconsider
Let’s of athe
sector.
is equal tocone.
following the
area of the corresponding sector.
1. Cut along the dotted line.
2. Unfold the curved surface.
Curved surface area of the cone  area of sector VAB

   2
360 
By considering the arc length of AB, we can

express in terms of r and . 
360
 
(a) Consider the base of the cone.
AB  circumference of the base
(b) Consider sector VAB.
 
AB   2 
 2 r 360
From the results obtained in (a) and (b), we have:

 2  2 r
360 
 r

360 
 
Curved surface area of the cone   2
360°
r
  2

  r
For a right circular cone with base radius r and slant height ,

curved surface area   r 

Total surface area of a right circular cone

= curved surface area + base area

Total surface area of a right circular cone   r   r 2

Refer to the right circular cone on the right.
4 cm
Total surface area of the cone
 curved surface area  base area
 (  4  9    4 2 ) cm2 r = 4 cm,  = 9 cm 9 cm

 52 cm2
Follow-up question
Find, in terms of π, the curved surface
area and the total surface area of the 10 cm
right circular cone on the right.

Solution 7 cm
Curved surface area of the cone
   7  10 cm2
 70 cm2

Total surface area of the cone

 (70    7 2 ) cm2
 (70  49 ) cm2
 119  cm2
The figure shows a right circular cone of B O
height 24 cm and slant height 26 cm.
Find the total surface area of the cone in 26 cm
terms of π. 24 cm

Consider right-angled triangle VOB.

VO 2  OB 2  VB 2 (Pyth. theorem)
OB  26 2  24 2 cm
 10 cm

Total surface area of the cone  (  10  26    10 2

) cm 2

 360 cm2
Follow-up question
The figure show a right circular cone. 12 cm 5 cm
A
(a) Find the slant height of the cone.
(b) Find the total surface area of the cone. C
(Give your answer in terms of )  . B

Solution
(a) Consider △ABC.
Slant height of the cone  AB 2  AC 2 (Pyth. theorem)

 12 2  5 2 cm
 13 cm
Follow-up question
The figure show a right circular cone. 12 cm 5 cm
A
(a) Find the slant height of the cone.
(b) Find the total surface area of the cone. C
(Give your answer in terms of )  . B

Solution
(b) Total surface area of the right circular cone
 curved surface area  base area
 (  5  13    5 2 ) cm 2
 90 cm 2