7.

5 A Summary of Useful Mensuration

Formulas
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This section lists a number of formulas relating to measuring geometric figures. (The word mensuration
is one of those traditional, old-fashioned words that means the branch of mathematics that deals with
measuring geometric figures.) Mastering the list, including the ideas behind the derivations of the
formulas (where possible; some require calculus, and so their derivations will be postponed until later in
the program), will be excellent preparation for college or university mathematics.

Plane Figures
Rectangles
A rectangle is a quadrilateral (a four-sided figure) that has opposite sides equal and parallel, and all four
internal angles are right angles.
The area of a rectangle is its length times its width:

A=LWA=LW

The perimeter of a rectangle is the sum of the lengths of its four sides:

P=2L+2WP=2L+2W

A square is a special case of a rectangle for which the length and width are the same. If we label the length
of each side of a square by xx, then the area of a square is A=x2A=x2, and the perimeter of a square
is P=4xP=4x.

Triangles
The figure shows a triangle embedded within a rectangle. It is traditional to label the sides of the
containing rectangle as bb (for base) and hh (for height); thus, the corresponding side of the triangle is
called its base, and the distance from the vertex opposite the base to the base is called the height of the
triangle. (The dashed line in the diagram is perpendicular to the base of the triangle.) Of course, if the
triangle is oriented differently, then its base and height will be different; thus, the base and height of a
triangle depend on its orientation.
By carefully examining the diagram, can you argue that the area of the triangle is half of the area of the
containing rectangle? That is, the area of the triangle is

A=12bhA=12bh

Trapezoids
A trapezoid is a quadrilateral with two opposite sides parallel; the other two opposite sides may or may
not be parallel. Thus, the class of trapezoids includes squares, rectangles, rhombuses, and parallelograms
as special cases.
The height of a trapezoid is defined to be the perpendicular distance between the parallel sides. The
parallel sides are known as the bases of the trapezoid.
By separating a trapezoid into two triangles with a diagonal line segment, it follows from the formula for
the area of a triangle that the area of a trapezoid is

AA=12ah+12bh=12(a+b)hA=12ah+12bhA=12(a+b)h

In words, the area of a trapezoid is the average base times the height.
The same area formula also applies to rhombuses and parallelograms, because they are special cases of
trapezoids. A parallelogram is a quadrilateral in which each pair of opposite sides is congruent and
parallel, although adjacent sides may have different lengths. A rhombus is a parallelogram in which all
four sides have the same length.

Polygons
The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180180, as shown in Chapter 6. A quadrilateral can be subdivided
into two triangles by a diagonal line segment, and so it follows that the sum of the internal angles in a
quadrilateral is 2180=3602180=360. A pentagon can be subdivided into three triangles by two
diagonals, which means that the sum of the internal angles in a pentagon is 3180=5403180=540.
Similarly, a polygon with nn sides can be separated into (n2)(n2) triangles by (n3)(n3) diagonals,
and so the sum of the internal angles in a polygon with nn sides is (n3)180=360(n3)180=360.

Circles
For a circle that has radius rr, the circumference is

C=2rC=2r

and the area is

A=r2A=r2

Both of these formulas can be proved using calculus, and we shall do so in Chapter 5 of our
forthcoming Calculus, to appear on this site.
The area of a sector of a circle is proportional to the size of the central angle of the
sector: A=12r2A=12r2, where the central angle is measured in radians. (If you are unfamiliar with
radian measure, then an alternative formula is A=12srA=12sr, where ss is the distance around the arc of
the sector.)

Three-Dimensional Figures
Cube
Each of the six faces of a cube is a square. If each side length is xx, then the volume of the cube
is V=x3V=x3, and the surface area of the cube is A=6x2A=6x2.

Rectangular Parallelepiped
Each of the six faces of a rectangular parallelepiped is a rectangle; another name for this kind of figure is a
rectangular box. (Think of a shoe-box as an example.) If the side lengths of the rectangular parallelepiped
are LL, WW, and HH, then the volume of the rectangular parallelepiped is V=LWHV=LWH, and its
surface area is A=2LW+2LH+2WHA=2LW+2LH+2WH.

Cylinder
A right circular cylinder has circular ends, where the radii of the circular ends are perpendicular to the
axis (the line segment joining the centres of the circular ends). The volume of a right circular cylinder is
the area of the base times the height hh: V=r2hV=r2h. The surface area is the sum of the areas of the
two bases plus the area of the lateral part of the cylinder; the area of the lateral part can be determined by
cutting the cylinder in a straight line parallel to the axis, and unwrapping the cylinder to produce a
rectangle of height hh and width equal to the circumference of the circular bases, which is 2r2r. Thus,
the surface area of a cylinder is A=2r2+2rhA=2r2+2rh.
For a general cylinder, the bases need not be circles and the axis need not be perpendicular to the bases,
although the bases should be congruent and the planes that contain the bases should be parallel. The
volume of a general cylinder is the area of one base times the length of the lateral edge (i.e., the distance
between corresponding points on the bases), and the lateral surface area is the perimeter of one base
times the length of the lateral edge.
A prism is a type of general cylinder where the bases are congruent polygons. A general parallelepiped is a
type of a general cylinder, where the bases are parallelograms. A rectangular parallelepiped is a type of
general cylinder (in fact, a right cylinder), where the bases are rectangles.

Cone
One can use calculus to show that the volume of a right circular cone with height hh and radius of
base rr is V=13r2hV=13r2h. That is, the volume of the right circular cone is one-third the volume of the
smallest coaxial right circular cylinder that can contain the cone.
The surface area of a right circular cone can be obtained by cutting the base out of the cone, and then
cutting the curved part of the cone with a straight cut from a point on the circular base to the apex, and
then opening up the curved part and laying it out flat to obtain a sector of a circle of radius ss. (In fact, the
reverse procedure is a common way to create a cone from a flat piece of paper.) It follows that the surface
area of a cone is

AAA=r2+12s2=r2+12(2r2s2)s2=r2+rsA=r2+12s2A=r2+12(2r2s2)s2A=r2+r
s
In a right circular cone the line segment joining the centre of the base to the apex is perpendicular to the
base. In general, the base of a cone need not be a circle, and even if the base is a circle the apex need not

be directly over the centre of the base. A pyramid is an example of a general cone for which the base is a
polygon.
For a general cone, the volume is one-third the area of the base times the height (i.e., the perpendicular
distance from the apex to the plane containing the base).

Sphere
A sphere is a three-dimensional figure for which each point is the same distance rr from a fixed point, the
centre of the sphere. The distance rr is called the radius of the sphere. It can be proved using calculus that
the volume of a sphere with radius rr is V=43r3V=43r3, and its surface area is A=4r2A=4r2.
*
In reviewing the formulas of this section, youll notice that perimeter and circumference formulas are
linear in terms of the relevant lengths, areas and surface areas are quadratic in terms of the relevant
lengths, and volumes are cubic in terms of the relevant lengths. This makes sense in terms of units,
doesnt it? For example, if all relevant lengths are measured in cm, then perimeters and circumferences
are also measured in cm, but areas are measured in cm22, and volumes are measured in cm33.

EXERCISES
1. Determine the area of each plane figure.
a rectangle with dimensions 77 cm and 33 cm

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a triangle with base 44 cm and height 55 cm
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a triangle with sides 33 m, 44 m, and 55 m

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a trapezoid with bases of 88 cm and 99 cm, and height 1111 cm

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a circle with radius 2.302.30 km

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a circular sector with central angle /3/3 radians and radius 5.015.01 cm

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2. Determine the perimeter/circumference of each plane figure.
a rectangle with dimensions 77 cm and 33 cm

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a triangle with base 44 cm and height 55 cm

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a triangle with sides 33 m, 44 m, and 55 m

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a trapezoid with bases of 88 cm and 99 cm, and height 1111 cm

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a circle with radius 2.302.30 km
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a rhombus with one side of length 3.93.9 cm

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3. Determine the volume of each three-dimensional figure.

a cube with side length 2.502.50 cm

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a rectangular parallelepiped (box) with sides of length 22 cm, 55 cm, and 99 cm

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a right circular cylinder, with height 5.005.00 cm and radius of base 4.224.22 cm
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a cone with height 11.211.2 cm and radius of base 9.179.17 cm

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a sphere of radius 6.5806.580 cm

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4. Determine the surface area of each three-dimensional figure.
a cube with side length 2.502.50 cm

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a rectangular parallelepiped (box) with sides of length 2.002.00 cm, 5.005.00 cm, and 9.009.00 cm
Show Answer
a right circular cylinder, with height 5.005.00 cm and radius of base 4.224.22 cm

Show Answer
a cone with height 11.211.2 cm and radius of base 9.179.17 cm

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a sphere of radius 6.5806.580 cm

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5. Determine the area of a square that has perimeter 2828 cm.

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6. Determine the circumference of a circle that has area 99 m22.

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7. Determine the volume of a cube that has surface area 2424 m33.

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8. Determine the surface area of a sphere that has volume 17.0017.00 cm33.

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CHALLENGE PROBLEM
Herons formula for the area of a triangle
Exercises require only the application of techniques discussed in this section; problems may require deeper thought and some insight.

Show that the area of a triangle with sides of lengths aa, bb, and cc is A=s(sa)(sb)(sc)A=s(s
where s=12(a+b+c)s=12(a+b+c). (This is known as Herons formula.)

CHALLENGE PROBLEM

A formula for the volume of a truncated cone

Exercises require only the application of techniques discussed in this section; problems may require deeper thought and some insight.
A cone is cut by a plane perpendicular to its base, and the top (the part with the apex) is removed, leaving a three-dimensional figure wi
side, called a truncated cone. The circular bases have radii r1r1 and r2r2, and the distance between the centres of the two circular bases
the truncated cone.

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HISTORY
The marvelous mechanical arguments of Archimedes

Archimedes (c. 287 BCc. 212 BC) used ingenious mechanical arguments to determine many geometric properties, such as formulas fo
volume of a cone, and many others. His arguments involved imagining that each geometric figure were made of a material with constan
against a figure with known properties. Using his law of the lever (nowadays this is expressed in terms of torque, that the net torque o

Archimedes proved that the volume of a sphere is 2/32/3 the volume of the smallest cylinder that can contain the sphere, and similarly
surface area of the smallest cylinder that can contain the sphere.
Archmedes considered the determination of the volume and surface area of a sphere to be his greatest achievement, and he had a sculpte
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