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9.2 Surface Area of Prisms

and Cylinders
Goal A prism is a polyhedron with two congruent faces that lie in
Find the surface areas of parallel planes.
prisms and cylinders.
To visualize the surface area of a prism, imagine unfolding it so
that it lies flat. The flat representation of the faces is called a net.
Key Words
Prism Unfold Net
• prism
• surface area
• lateral face
• lateral area
• cylinder

The surface area of a polyhedron is the sum of the areas of its faces.
The surface area of a prism is equal to the area of its net.

EXAMPLE 1 Use the Net of a Prism

Find the surface area
3
of the rectangular
prism. 8 in.
5 8 8

5 in.
3 in. 5 3

Solution 5

Add the areas of all the rectangles that form the faces of the prism.

Congruent Faces Dimensions Area of Face

Student Help Left face and right face 8 in. by 5 in. 8 3 5 5 40 in.2
STUDY TIP Front face and back face 8 in. by 3 in. 8 3 3 5 24 in.2
Remember that area
is measured in square Top face and bottom face 3 in. by 5 in. 3 3 5 5 15 in.2
units, such as ft 2, m2,
and in.2
Add the areas of all the faces to get the surface area.
S 5 401 40 1 24 1 24 1 15 1 15 Add the area of all six faces.
5 158 Simplify.

ANSWER © The surface area of the prism is 158 square inches.

9.2 Surface Area of Prisms and Cylinders 483

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Lateral Faces and Area The lateral faces base

of a prism are the faces of the prism that are
not bases. Lateral area is the sum of the lateral
areas of the lateral faces. face
base

Surface Area of a Prism One way to find the surface area of

a prism is to use the method in Activity 9.2, summarized below.

Surface area 5 2(area of base) 1 area of lateral faces

5 2B 1 Ph

B l w l w

h
5 1 h
w
l B w
P 5 2l 1 2w
l

Student Help SURFACE AREA OF A PRISM

STUDY TIP
The formula at the right Words Surface area 5
works for any prism, 2(area of base) 1 (perimeter of base)(height) h
regardless of the
shape of its bases. Symbols S 5 2B 1 Ph w
l

EXAMPLE 2 Find Surface Area of a Prism

Find the surface area
of the prism. 5m
3m
2m
Solution 4m

●
1 Find the area of a triangular base.
1
Visualize It! B 5 }} p 4 p 3 5 2 p 3 5 6
2
It may help you to
visualize the bases and
●
2 Find the perimeter of a base.

the height if you redraw P 5 3 1 4 1 55 12

the solid in Example 2
so that it lies on a base.
●
3 Find the height of the prism. In the diagram, h 5 2.

5 ●
4 Use the formula for surface area of a prism.
2
S 5 2B 1 Ph Formula for the surface area of a prism
3 4 5 2 p 6 1 12 p 2 Substitute 6 for B, 12 for P, and 2 for h.
5 12 1 24 Multiply.
5 36 Add.

ANSWER © The surface area of the prism is 36 square meters.

484 Chapter 9 Surface Area and Volume

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Find Surface Area of Prisms

Find the surface area of the prism.

1. 2. 3. 8 cm
3 in. 6 ft 6 cm

4 cm
6 in. 8 ft
10 cm
5 ft
2 in.

Surface Area of a Cylinder A cylinder is a solid with two congruent

circular bases that lie in parallel planes. The lateral area of a cylinder is
the area of the curved surface.
radius r base

The radius of The height of

the cylinder is the cylinder is the
lateral height h
the radius of a perpendicular
base. surface distance between
the bases.

base

Visualize It! The diagram below shows how to find the surface area of a cylinder.
The label below
represents the lateral Surface area 5 2(area of base) 1 lateral area
surface of a cylinder. 2
5 2πr 1 (2πr )h
When unwrapped, the
label is a rectangle. B 5 πr 2 r r

5 1 h

C 5 2πr
r r

SURFACE AREA OF A CYLINDER

Words Surface area 5
2(area of base) 1 (circumference of base)(height)

Symbols S 5 2B 1 Ch
5 2πr 2 1 2πrh B 5 πr 2
C 5 2πr
r

9.2 Surface Area of Prisms and Cylinders 485

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Student Help EXAMPLE 3 Find Surface Area of a Cylinder

LOOK BACK Find the surface area of the cylinder. Round
See p. 452 to review your answer to the nearest whole number.
calculations with π.

Solution
The radius of the base is 3 feet and the height 3 ft
4 feet. Use these values in the formula for
surface area of a cylinder.
S 5 2πr 2 1 2πrh Write the formula for surface area.
2
5 2π(3 ) 1 2π(3)(4) Substitute 3 for r and 4 for h.
5 18π 1 24π Simplify.
5 42π Add.
≈ 132 Multiply.

ANSWER © The surface area is about 132 square feet.

IStudent Help EXAMPLE 4 Find Lateral Area

ICLASSZONE.COM
About how much plastic is used to make a straw that has a diameter
MORE EXAMPLES
of 5 millimeters and a height of 195 millimeters?
More examples at
classzone.com Solution
The straw is a cylinder with no bases. Use the formula for the
surface area of a cylinder, but do not include the areas of the bases.
The diameter is 5 millimeters. So the radius is 5 4 2 5 2.5.
Lateral area 5 2πrh Surface area formula without bases.
5 2π(2.5)(195) Substitute 2.5 for r and 195 for h.
5 975π Simplify.
≈ 3063 Multiply.

ANSWER © The straw is made with about 3063 square millimeters

of plastic.

Find Surface Area of Cylinders

Find the area described. Round your answer to the nearest

whole number.
4. surface area 5. surface area 6. lateral area

3 in. 1m
12 ft

5 in.

10 ft

486 Chapter 9 Surface Area and Volume

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9.2 Exercises
Guided Practice
Vocabulary Check Tell whether the statement is true or false.
1. The solid is a triangular prism.

2. The blue face is a lateral face of the solid.

3. The red face is a lateral face of the solid.

4. The blue face is a base of the solid.

Skill Check Find the surface area of the solid. If necessary, round your answer to
the nearest whole number.
5. 6. 7. 4 m

10 in.
2m
3m
4 in. 4 ft
6 in.

Practice and Applications

Extra Practice Identifying Parts of a Prism In Exercises 8–10, use the diagram at
See p. 691. the right.
8. What is the height of the solid?
5 in.
9. What is the area of a base?

10. What is the perimeter of a base? 2 in.

3 in.

Identifying Parts of a Cylinder In Exercises 11–13, use the diagram

at the right.
11. What is the height of the solid? 4m

12. What is the area of a base? 5m

13. What is the circumference of a base?

Homework Help
Example 1: Exs. 17–20, Identifying Parts of a Prism In Exercises 14–16, use the diagram at
28, 29, 31
the right.
Example 2: Exs. 17–20,
10 ft
28, 29, 31 14. What is the height of the solid?
Example 3: Exs. 24–27,
30 15. What is the area of a base?
Example 4: Exs. 39–44 6 ft 15 ft
16. What is the perimeter of a base?
8 ft

9.2 Surface Area of Prisms and Cylinders 487

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Surface Area of a Prism Find the surface area of the prism.

17. 18. 19. 10 m
6 ft
4 in. 7m
9 ft
10 ft 4 in. 8m
4 in. 6m

20. You be the Judge

The height of Prism A is twice Prism A Prism B
the height of Prism B. Is the 1m
2m
surface area of Prism A twice
3m
the surface area of Prism B? 3m
3m
Explain. 3m

Analyzing Nets Name the solid that can be folded from the net.
21. 22. 23.

Finding Surface Area of a Cylinder Find the surface area of the

cylinder. Round your answer to the nearest whole number.
24. 25. 6m 26.
8 cm

13 m
8 cm
6 ft

Finding Surface Area Find the surface area of the solid. Round your
answer to the nearest whole number.
2.7 in.
27. 5 in. 28. Cube with 29.
16 mm sides

7 in.

18 in.
30. 31. 10 cm

3 in. B ≈ 260 cm2

1 in. 11 cm

B ≈ 3 in.2
488 Chapter 9 Surface Area and Volume
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32. Error Analysis Juanita is trying to find the surface area of the
cylinder shown below. What did she do wrong?

S 5 2π(122) 1 2π(12)(10) 12 in.

5 2π(24) 1 2π(120)
5 288π 10 in.

≈ 905 in.2

Visualize It! Sketch the solid that results after the net has been
folded. Use the shaded faces as bases.
33. 34. 35.

Visualize It! Sketch the solid described and find its surface area.
36. A rectangular prism with a height of 10 feet, a length of 3 feet,
and a width of 6 feet.

37. A cylinder with a radius of 3 meters and a height of 7 meters.

38. A triangular prism with a height of 5 inches and a base that is a

right triangle with legs of 8 inches and 6 inches.

Finding Lateral Area Find the lateral area of the solid. If necessary,
round your answer to the nearest whole number.
39. 40. 41.
Music 7m
3 yd 6 ft
8 yd
5 ft
6m 8 ft
2m

42. Clothes Rod Find the lateral area of a clothes rod that has a
radius of 2 centimeters and a height of 90 centimeters.

WAX CYLINDER 43. Wax Cylinder Records In the late 1800’s, a standard-sized
RECORDS The first type of cylinder record was about 2 inches in diameter and 4 inches
phonograph records were long. Find the lateral area of the cylinder described.
hollow wax cylinders. The
cylinder is rotated on a 44. Compact Discs A standard compact disc has an outer radius of
phonograph to produce 60 millimeters and a height of 1.2 millimeters. Find the lateral area
the music. of the disc.

9.2 Surface Area of Prisms and Cylinders 489

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Architecture In Exercises 45 and 46 use the following information.

Suppose a skyscraper is a prism that is 415 meters tall and each base
is a square that measures 64 meters on a side.

45. What is the lateral area of this skyscraper?

46. Challenge What is the surface area of this skyscraper? (Hint: The
ground is not part of the surface area of the skyscraper.)

Standardized Test 47. Multiple Choice What is the approximate surface area of the
Practice cylinder shown?

X
A 502 cm2 B 628 cm
X 2
10 cm
2 2
X
C 785 cm D 1570 cm
X
15 cm

48. Multiple Choice What is the height of the prism shown if the
surface area is 104 square feet?

X
F 4 feet G 5 feet
X x

X
H 6 feet J 7 feet
X 2 ft
5 ft

Mixed Review Finding Area Find the area of the polygon made up of rectangles
and triangles. (Lessons 8.3, 8.4)
49. 50. 51. 5 in.
5 cm
13 in.
6 ft 11 ft 4 cm
10 cm 3 in.

52. A parallelogram has a height of 5 feet and an area of 70 square feet.

Find the base. (Lesson 8.5)

Algebra Skills Solving Proportions Solve the proportion. (Skills Review, p. 660)
6 2 1 4 3 x
53. }} 5 }} 54. }} 5 }} 55. }} 5 }}
x 5 10 x 5 35

4 16 33 11 x 5
56. }} 5 }} 57. }} 5 }} 58. }} 5 }}
7 x x 13 32 8

490 Chapter 9 Surface Area and Volume