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Surface Area of Pyramid

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56 views15 pages

Surface Area of Pyramid

Prism

Uploaded by

Chris Orya
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is the surface area of a pyramid?

The surface area of a pyramid is the total sum of the area of each face of the pyramid.

For example, a square based pyramid consists of a square, and four triangular faces.

Note:

There are many types of pyramids

A rectangular based pyramid consists of a rectangle and two pairs of identical triangles

A triangular based pyramid consists of

4 triangular faces.

The base could be any regular polygon or irregular polygon e.g pentagonal or hexagonal pyramids. You
need to make sure you have found the area of all lateral faces and added it to the area of the base of the
pyramid.

Area of the base =5×5=25 cm

Area of a triangular face =

×8×5=20 cm

2
Surface area =25+20+20+20+20=25+(4×20)=105 cm

As one single calculation, we can say:

Surface area of pyramid

Area of base

Area of triangular faces

5
×

25

80

105

Surface area of pyramid

=Area of base+Area of triangular faces

=5

+4×(

×5×8)

=25+80
=105 cm

How to find the surface area of a pyramid

In order to find the surface area of a pyramid:

Calculate the area of the base.

Calculate the area of all of the triangular faces.

Calculate the total surface area.

Write the answer, including the units.

Example 1: square-based pyramid in cm

×b×h

×10×6

=30 cm

2
4

30

120

cm

4A=30×4=120 cm

3Calculate the total surface area.

Adding the values for the area of the base and the area of the four triangles, we get:

36
+

120

156

SA=36+120=156

4Write the answer, including the units.

156

cm

SA=156 cm

Example 2: square-based pyramid, worded problem

A softbox light takes the form of a solid, square-based pyramid. The screen has a width of

1m, and the sides of the softbox light have a perpendicular height of

1.2

.
1.2m.

The apex of the pyramid is perpendicular to the centre of the screen.

×b×h

×1×1.2

=0.6 m

4
×

0.6

2.4

4A=4×0.6=2.4 m

SA=1+2.4=3.4

Example 3

×b×h

×8×4

=16
3

Again the area of each face is the same and so the area of the other three triangular faces is also equal
to

16

16

Example 4: rectangular-based pyramid

1.2m=120cm.

The area of the base is therefore:

120

90

10800

cm

2
A=120×90=10800 cm

The pyramid has two pairs of congruent faces:

ADE=BCE and

CDE=ABE.

Calculating the area of

𝐷
𝐸

ADE, we have

120

380

22800

cm

A=

×120×380=22800 cm

2
Triangle

22800

cm

ADE=22800 cm

Triangle

22800

cm

BCE=22800 cm

2
Calculating the area of

CDE, we have

90

382

17190

cm

A=

×90×382=17190 cm
2

Triangle

17190

cm

CDE=17190 cm

Triangle

17190

cm

2
ABE=17190 cm

SA

=10800+22800+22800+17190+17190

=10800+2(22800)+2(17190)

=90780

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