Word Problems: Volume and Surface Area of Prisms

We will work with right prisms, in which the slant height is the same as the height. In order to solve problems which require application of the volume and surface areafor prisms, it is necessary to

know how to use basic formulas for volume (V) and surface area (SA) of a right prism: i. ii. V = area of base x height SA = sum of both bases and the lateral area

know how to find the area of a base:

i. ii.

regular polygon: base area = regular hexagon: base area =

know how to find the length of a side of a regular

polygon using solve basic linear and quadratic equations.

A typical problem involving the volume or surface area of a prism gives us one or more of the volume, lateral area, area of a base, height and/or radius of the prism. We will be required to calculate some of these quantities given information about the others. Suppose the height of a right rectangular prism (rectangular solid) is 30 cm and the volume is 480 cm3. If the base is a square, find the surface area of this prism. A diagram is shown below.

To get started, we sketch a diagram and label all of the given information to determine the appropriate formula(s) we will be able to use.

Since we know the volume is 480 cm3, we will start with the formula for volume. V = 480 cm3 V = lwh The length l and width w are both the same in a square base allowing us to use the variable x for both l and w. Because h is given as 30 cm we can write: V = (x)(x)(30) V = 30x2 30x2 = 480 x2 = 16 x = 4 cm We will now use x = 4 cm and h = 30 cm to calculate the area of all six rectangular sides of this prism. Remember that the 2 bases are equal as are the four sides making up the lateral area. There are two square bases. Since the length of a side x = 4, there is a total area of 2x2 = 2(4)2 = 32 cm2 The four sides are rectangles with dimensions of width 4 cm and height 30 cm for a total area of 4(4)(30) = 480 cm2 The total surface area is 32 cm2 + 480 cm2 = 512 cm2

Volume of a Prism
The volume V of a right prism is given by the formula V = Bh, where B is the area of the base and h is the height.

Example: Find the volume of the prism shown.

The height of the prism is 10 cm. The base is a right triangle with legs of length 5 cm and 12 cm, so

Therefore, the volume is

Note that for a rectangular prism, the volume formula becomes simply V = lwh, where l is the length of the base, w is the width of the base, and h is the height of the prism.

Surface Area of a Prism

The surface area S of a prism is given by the formula S = 2B + Ph, where B is the area of the base of the prism, P is the perimeter of the base, and h is the height. In the example above, by the Pythaogrean theorem, thehypotenuse of the triangular base has length

So the perimeter of the base is 5 + 12 + 13 = 30 cm. We already know the base area is 30 cm2. So,

You many sometimes be called upon to find the lateral surface area of a prism. This just means the surface area of the faces not including the bases, or L = Ph.