| Volume of a prism A prism is any solid which has exactly the same uniform cross section throughout its length. |
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The examples in the pictures on the
left show a prism with a circular cross section (top), usually
called a cylinder, and below it a prism with a hexagonal cross
section. Both of them have a length h.
To calculate the volume (V) of a prism, first find the area (A) of the cross section - treat it as a flat shape, and use one of the usual formulæ for area. Then multiply this by the length h: V = hA For the upper drawing of the cylinder, for instance, you would find the area of the circle on the end, and for the hexagonal prism you would use the area of a regular polygon and, in each case, multiply the answer by the prism length.
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Most recently updated at 11:58 (British time) on 23 January 2006 |
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