LESSON

Volume of
10.1
Equations,
expressions, and
relationships—7.8.A
Rectangular Prisms Model the relationship between
the volume of a rectangular
prism and a rectangular
and Pyramids pyramid having both congruent
bases and heights and connect
that relationship to the
formulas. Also 7.9.A

? ESSENTIAL QUESTION
How do you find the volume of a rectangular prism and a
rectangular pyramid?

Finding the Volume of

a Rectangular Prism
Remember that the volume of a rectangular prism is given by the formula
V = ℓ × w × h, or V = ℓwh. Math On the Spot
my.hrw.com
The base of a rectangular prism is a rectangle with length ℓ and width w, so the
area of the base B is equal to ℓw. The volume formula can also be written as
V = Bh. In fact, the volume of any prism is the product of the base B and the
height h. Remember that volume is given in cubic units.

Volume of a Prism

The volume V of a prism is the area of its base B times its height h.

V = Bh
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EXAMPL 1
EXAMPLE 7.9.A

Find the volume of the rectangular prism.

7 mm
STEP 1 Find the area of the base.
15 mm
B = ℓw Use the formula. 12 mm
Math Talk
B = 12 × 15 Substitute for ℓ and w. Mathematical Processes
Does it matter which
B = 180 mm2 dimension of a rectangle
you consider its
STEP 2
Getty Images

Find the volume. height?

V = Bh Use the formula.

V = 180 × 7 Substitute for B and h.

V = 1,260 mm3

The volume of the rectangular prism is 1,260 cubic millimeters.

Lesson 10.1 315

 Reflect
1. What If? If you know the volume V and the height h of a prism,
how would you find the area of the base B?

YOUR TURN
2. Use the formula V = Bh to find the volume of a gift box
Personal that is 3.5 inches high, 7 inches long, and 6 inches wide.
Math Trainer
Online Assessment
and Intervention
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EXPLORE ACTIVITY 1 7.9.A

Nets
A net is a two-dimensional pattern of shapes that can be folded into a
three-dimensional figure. The shapes in the net become the faces of the
three-dimensional figure.

STEP 1 Copy Net A and Net B on graph paper, and Net A Net B
cut them out along the blue lines.

One of these nets can be folded along the

black lines to make a cube. Which net will

not make a cube?

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STEP 2 See if you can find another net that can be folded into a cube.

Draw a net that you think will make a cube on your graph paper, and
then cut it out. Can you fold it into a cube? Sketch your net below.

STEP 3 Compare your results with several of your classmates. How many
different nets for a cube did you and your classmates find?

316 Unit 5
 Reflect
3. What shapes will appear in a net for a rectangular prism that is not a
cube? How many of these shapes will there be?

How do you know that each net cannot be folded into a cube without
actually cutting and folding it?

4. 5.

6. Make a Conjecture If you draw a net for a cylinder, such as a soup can,
how many two-dimensional geometric shapes would this net have?
Name the shapes in the net for a cylinder.

Exploring the Volume of

a Rectangular Pyramid
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A pyramid is a three-dimensional shape whose base is a polygon and whose other

faces are all triangles. Like a prism, a pyramid is named by the shape of its base.

Rectangular Pyramid Triangular Pyramid Pentagonal Pyramid

The faces of a pyramid that are not the base have a Height
common vertex, called the vertex of the pyramid.
The perpendicular distance from the vertex to the
base is the height of the pyramid. Base

Lesson 10.1 317

EXPLORE ACTIVITY 2 7.8.A

In this activity, you will compare the volumes of a pyramid and a prism with
congruent bases and equal heights. Remember that congruent figures have
the same shape and size.

STEP 1 Make three-dimensional models. Make

larger versions of the nets shown. Make
sure the bases and heights in each net are
the same size. Fold each net, and tape it
together to form a prism or a pyramid.
STEP 2 Fill the pyramid with beans. Make sure that the beans are level
with the opening of the pyramid. Then pour the beans into the
prism. Repeat until the prism is full. How many times did you fill

the prism from the pyramid?

STEP 3 Write a fraction that compares the volume of the pyramid to the
volume of the prism.

volume of pyramid _____

Math Talk
________________ =
volume of prism Mathematical Processes
Describe ways in which a
prism and a pyramid
Reflect are different.
7. Draw Conclusions A rectangular pyramid has a base area
of B and a height of h. What is a formula for the volume of
the pyramid? Justify your reasoning.

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8. Communicate Mathematical Ideas The prism and the pyramid in this
activity have congruent bases and equal heights. Are they congruent
three-dimensional shapes? Explain.

YOUR TURN
3
Personal 9. The volume of a rectangular prism is 4_12 in . What is the volume of a
Math Trainer rectangular pyramid with a congruent base and the same height? Explain
Online Assessment your reasoning.
and Intervention
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318 Unit 5
 Solving Volume Problems
You can use the formulas for the volume of a rectangular prism and the volume
of a rectangular pyramid to solve problems.

Math On the Spot

Volume of a Rectangular Pyramid my.hrw.com

The volume V of a pyramid is one-third the area of its base B times

its height h.

V = _13 Bh

EXAMPL 2
EXAMPLE 7.9.A

A Kyle needs to build a crate in the shape of a rectangular prism. The

crate must have a volume of 38_12 cubic feet, and a base area of 15_25
square feet. Find the height of the crate.

V = Bh Use the formula.

38_12 = 15_25 · h Substitute for V and B.

77 __
__
2
= 77
5
h Change the mixed numbers to fractions.

5 __ 5 77 , multiply both
To divide both sides by ___
__ · 77 = __
77 2
77
5
h · __
77 5
sides by the reciprocal.
5
_
2
=h

The height of the crate must be _52, or 2_12, feet.

B A glass paperweight in the shape of a rectangular pyramid has a base

that is 4 inches by 3 inches and a height of 5 inches. Find the volume
of the paperweight.
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V = _13 Bh Use the formula.

V = _13 · 12 · 5 Think: B = ℓw = 4 · 3 = 12

V = 20
The paperweight has a volume of 20 cubic inches.

YOUR TURN
10. A rectangular prism has a volume of 160 cubic centimeters Personal
and a height of 4 centimeters. What is the area of its base? Math Trainer
Online Assessment
11. A square pyramid has a base edge of 5.5 yards and a height of and Intervention

3.25 yards. Find the volume of the pyramid to the nearest tenth. my.hrw.com

Lesson 10.1 319

Guided Practice
1. Find the volume of the rectangular prism. (Example 1)
V = Bh

V=
( × _____
)( )
6 ft
9 ft

1 ft
4
2

V= ft3

Identify the three-dimensional shape that can be formed from each net.
(Explore Activity 1 and Explore Activity 2)
2. 3. 4.

5. The volume of a rectangular prism is V = Bh

161.2 m3. The prism has a base that is
5.2 m by 3.1 m. Find the height of the
prism. (Example 2)
= ( × ) ×h

= h

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=h

The height of the prism is .

?
? ESSENTIAL QUESTION CHECK-IN

6. Explain how to use models to show the relationship between the volume of a rectangular prism
and a rectangular pyramid with congruent bases and heights.

320 Unit 5
 Name Class Date

10.1 Independent Practice Personal

Math Trainer
Online
7.8.A, 7.9.A Assessment and
my.hrw.com Intervention

8. Explain the Error A student found the 13. A storage chest has the shape of a
volume of a rectangular pyramid with a rectangular prism with the dimensions
base area of 92 square meters and a height shown. The volume of the storage chest is
of 54 meters to be 4,968 cubic meters. 18,432 cubic inches. What is its height?
Explain and correct the error.

16 in.
9. A block of marble is in the shape of a 48 in.
rectangular prism. The block is 3 feet long,
2 feet wide, and 18 inches high. What is the

volume of the block? 14. Draw Conclusions A shipping company

ships certain boxes at a special rate. The
10. Multistep Curtis builds a doghouse with boxes must not have a volume greater
base shaped like a cube and a roof shaped than 2,500 cm3. Can the box shown be
like a pyramid. The cube has an edge shipped at the special rate? Explain.
length of 3_12 feet. The height of the pyramid
is 5 feet. Find the volume of the doghouse
rounded to the nearest tenth.
20 cm

10 cm
12 cm

15. Communicate Mathematical Ideas Is the

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figure shown a prism or a pyramid? Justify

your answer.
11. Miguel has an aquarium in the shape of a 11 in. 9 in.
rectangular prism. The base is 30.25 inches
long and 12.5 inches wide. The aquarium
4 in.
is 12.75 inches high. What is the volume of
the aquarium to the nearest cubic inch? 8 in.

12. After a snowfall, Sheree built a snow

pyramid. The pyramid had a square base
with side lengths of 32 inches and a height
of 28 inches. What was the volume of the
pyramid to the nearest cubic inch?

Lesson 10.1 321

16. A cereal box can hold 144 cubic inches of cereal. Suppose the box is
8 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. How tall is the box?

17. A shed in the shape of a rectangular prism has a volume of 1,080 cubic
feet. The height of the shed is 8 feet, and the width of its base is 9 feet.
What is the length of the shed?

FOCUS ON HIGHER ORDER THINKING Work Area

18. Draw Conclusions Sue has a plastic paperweight shaped like a

rectangular pyramid. The volume is 120 cubic inches, the height is
6 inches, and the length is 10 inches. She has a gift box that is a
rectangular prism with a base that is 6 inches by 10 inches. How tall

must the box be for it to hold the pyramid?

19. Represent Real-World Problems A public swimming pool is in the

shape of a rectangular prism. The pool is 20 meters long and 16 meters
wide. The pool is filled to a depth of 1.75 meters.
a. Find the volume of water in the pool.
b. A cubic meter of water has a mass of 1,000 kilograms. Find the mass

of the water in the pool.

20. Analyze Relationships There are two glass pyramids at the Louvre
Museum in Paris, France. The outdoor pyramid has a square base with side
lengths of 35.4 meters and a height of 21.6 meters. The indoor pyramid has
a square base with side lengths of 15.5 meters and a height of 7 meters.
How many times as great is the volume of the outdoor pyramid than that
of the indoor pyramid?

21. Persevere in Problem Solving A small solid pyramid was installed

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on top of the Washington Monument in 1884. The square base of the
pyramid is 13.9 centimeters on a side, and the height of the pyramid is
22.6 centimeters. The pyramid has a mass of 2.85 kilograms.
a. Find the volume of the pyramid. Round to the nearest hundredth.

b. Find the mass of the pyramid in grams.

c. Science The density of a substance is the ratio of its mass to its
volume. Find the density of the pyramid in grams per cubic
centimeter. Round to the nearest hundredth.

322 Unit 5