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YOUR NOTES
IGCSE Maths CIE 

5. Mensuration (Perimeters, Areas & Volumes)

CONTENTS
5.1 2D Perimeters & Areas
5.1.1 Area - Formulae
5.1.2 Area - Adding & Subtracting
5.1.3 Problem Solving with Areas
5.2 Circle Problems
5.2.1 Circles - Area & Circumference
5.2.2 Circles - Sector Areas & Arc Lengths
5.3 3D Areas & Volumes
5.3.1 3D Shapes - Surface Area
5.3.2 3D Shapes - Volume

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5.1 2D Perimeters & Areas YOUR NOTES


5.1.1 Area - Formulae
What is area and why do we need to calculate it?
Area is the amount of space taken up by a two-dimensional shape
Volume deals with three-dimensional shapes and space
Some of the uses of area are a little more obvious than some areas of maths
Examples include working out the area of a floor if laying or purchasing a new
carpet or the amount of land needed if designing a sports field
Area – using formulae
There are some basic formulae you should know and be comfortable using
Be aware that some area formulae use distances that aren’t necessarily one of the
sides of the shape
Make sure you know what the different letters in each formula are referring to
These formulae are essential – anything more complicated will be given in the
exam:

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YOUR NOTES


 Exam Tip
You may have to do some work to find the lengths first – using Pythagoras
Theorem, Trigonometry (SOHCAHTOA) etc. so make sure you look out for
that!

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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 Worked Example

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5.1.2 Area - Adding & Subtracting YOUR NOTES


What do we mean by an awkward shape (a compund shape)?
Sometimes the shape we want to find the area of isn’t one of the standard shapes
in Area – Formulae
However, the area may be found by using a combination of standard shapes
These are often called Compound Shapes and you may see Compound Area
mentioned too
Finding the area of an awkward shape (compound area)
When you are asked to find the area of an “awkward” shape, split the shape into
standard shapes first, and then add them together

 Exam Tip
Take a moment to think about how to split up the shape into the easiest
shapes possible – there will probably be more than one way to do
it!Occasionally it may be easier to add an extra shape to the diagram and
subtract the area of the extra shape from the new bigger shape.For example,
for this shape you might complete the rectangle by putting a triangle in the
top left corner. Then the area of the whole shape is the rectangle minus the
triangle:

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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 Worked Example

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5.1.3 Problem Solving with Areas YOUR NOTES


What is problem solving?
Problem solving , as far as GCSE Mathematics is concerned, usually has two key
features:
A question is given as a real-life scenario (eg. Mary is painting a bedroom in
her house …)
There is normally more than one topic of maths you will need in order to
answer the question (eg. Area and Percentages)
Problem solving with areas
Area is a commonly used topic of maths in the real world
Laying a carpet, painting a house, designing a sports field, building a patio or
decking all involve area
Also, doing each of these things has a cost – so a lot of area problems also involve
calculations with money
How to solve problems
The key to getting started on problem-solving questions is to not focus only on
what the question asks you to find out but thinking about what you can do with the
information given
Often this will lead you to think of something else you can do and then eventually
you may be able to see your way to answering the original question
These questions could appear on either a non-calculator paper or calculator
paper, depending on how awkward they decide to make the numbers involved!

 Exam Tip
Even if you never get to a final answer always try to do some maths with the
information from the question – you are likely to score some extra marks!

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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5.2 Circle Problems YOUR NOTES

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5.2.1 Circles - Area & Circumference
Why are circles different to other 2D shapes?
Circles just have their own language!
The circumference of a circle is its perimeter
π is the number (3.14159 …) that links a circle’s diameter to its circumference
Diameter (d) is twice the radius (r)
You may be asked to give an area answer to a certain number of decimal
places or significant figures
Alternatively you may be asked to give the exact value – or “give your answer
in terms of π” – so this topic could crop up on the non-calculator paper!
Working with circles
You must know the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle
There are two versions for the circumference and it is important not to get the
radius and diameter confused
Remember that d = 2r
But you may prefer to remember the formulas by having different letters involved

Other than that, working with circle formulas is just like working with any other
formula:
1. WRITE DOWN – what you know (what you want to know)
2. Pick correct FORMULA
3. SUBSTITUTE and SOLVE

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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 Worked Example

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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5.2.2 Circles - Sector Areas & Arc Lengths YOUR NOTES


What is a sector? What is an arc?
A maths book will (correctly) tell you that an arc is part of the circumference of a
circle and a sector is part of a circle enclosed by two radii (radiuses) and an arc
It’s much easier to think of a sector as the shape of a slice of a circular pizza (or
cake, or pie, or …) and an arc as the curvy bit at the end of it (where the crust is)
If the angle of the slice is θ (that’s the Greek letter “theta”) then the formulas for
the area of a sector and the length of an arc are just fractions of the area and
circumference of a circle:

If you are not too good at remembering formulae there is a logic to these two
You’ll need to remember the circumference and area formulas
After that we are just finding a fraction of the whole circle – “θ out of 360”
Other than that, working with sector and arc formulas is just like working with any
other formula:
1. WRITE DOWN – what you know (what you want to know)
2. Pick correct FORMULA
3. SUBSTITUTE and SOLVE

 Exam Tip
If you’re under pressure and can’t remember which formula is which,
remember that area is always measured in square units (cm2, m2 etc.) so
the formula with r2 in it is the one for area.

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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 Worked Example

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5.3 3D Areas & Volumes YOUR NOTES


5.3.1 3D Shapes - Surface Area
What is surface area?
A face is one of the flat or curved surfaces that make up a 3D shape
The surface area of a 3D shape is the sum of the areas of all the faces that make
up the shape
Note how we are carrying a 2D idea (area) into 3 dimensions here
Surface area – cuboids, pyramids, and prisms
In cuboids, polygonal-based pyramids, and polygonal-based prisms (ie. pyramids
and prisms whose bases have straight sides), all the faces are flat
The surface area is found simply by adding up the areas of these flat faces
When calculating surface area, it can be very helpful to draw a 2D net for the 3D
shape in question
For example:
The base of a square-based pyramid is 15 cm on a side
The triangular faces are identical isosceles triangles, each with a height (from
the base to the top of the pyramid) of 23 cm
Find the total surface area of the pyramid
Draw a net for the shape:

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YOUR NOTES


Area of square base =152 = 225 cm2

Area of one triangular face = ½ base × height = ½ × 15 × 23 =172.5 cm2
Total surface area =225 + 4 × 172.5 = 915 cm2
Surface area – cylinders, cones, and spheres
All three of these shapes have curved faces, so we have to be a little more careful
when calculating their surface areas

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1. The net of a cylinder consists of two circles and a rectangle: YOUR NOTES


The total surface area of a cylinder with base radius r and height h is therefore
given by:
Total surface area of a cylinder= 2πr2 + 2πrh
2. The net of a cone consists of the circular base along with the curved surface area:

The length l in that diagram is known as the slant height (while h is the vertical
height of the cone)
To find the surface area of a cone with base radius r and slant height l, we use the
formulas:

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Curved surface area of a cone = πrl YOUR NOTES

Total surface area of a cone = πr2+πrl 
3. To find the surface area of a sphere with radius r, use the formula:
Surface area of a sphere=4πr2

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YOUR NOTES
 Exam Tip
The formula for the surface area of a sphere or the curved surface area of a 
cone will be given to you in an exam question if you need it. The rest of the
formulas here come from what you should already know about areas of
rectangles, triangles, and circles.Be careful when calculating the surface
area of a hemisphere:

The total surface area consists of the curved part (half of a sphere) PLUS the
flat circular face – so the total surface area is 3πr2

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Worked Example YOUR NOTES

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5.3.2 3D Shapes - Volume YOUR NOTES


What is volume?
The volume of a 3D shape is a measure of how much 3-D space it takes up
You need to be able to calculate the volumes of a number of common shapes
Volume – cuboids, prisms, and cylinders
1. To find the volume of a cuboid use the formula:
Volume of a cuboid = length × width × height

You will sometimes see the terms 'depth' or 'breadth' instead of 'width'
Note that a cuboid is in fact a rectangular-based prism
2. To find the volume of a prism use the formula:
Volume of a prism = area of cross-section × length

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YOUR NOTES


Note that the cross-section can be any shape, so:

As long as you know its area and length, you can calculate the volume of the
prism
Or if you know the volume and length of the prism, you can calculate the cross-
section area

3. To calculate the volume of a cylinder with radius and height, use the formula:
Volume of a cylinder = πr2h

Note that a cylinder is in fact a circular-based prism: its cross-section is a circle

with area πr2, and its length is h
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Volume – pyramids, cones, & spheres YOUR NOTES

4. To calculate the volume of a pyramid with height h, use the formula: 
Volume of a pyramid = 1/3 × area of base × h

Note that to use this formula the height must be a line from the top of the
pyramid that is perpendicular to the base
5. To calculate the volume of a cone with base radius and height h, use the formula:
Volume of a cone = 1/3 πr2h

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YOUR NOTES


Note that a cone is in fact a circular-based pyramid: as with a pyramid, to use the
cone volume formula the height must be a line from the top of the cone that is
perpendicular to the base

6. To calculate the volume of a sphere with radius r, use the formula:

Volume of a sphere = 4/3 πr3

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YOUR NOTES
 Exam Tip
The formula for volume of a sphere or volume of a cone will be given to you 
in an exam question if you need it. You need to memorise the other volume
formulas!

 Worked Example

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