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Surface Area and Volume of a Cylinder
In geometry, a cylinder is a three-dimensional shape with a circular base, a circular top, and straight sides. It is the solid figure that you get when you rotate a rectangle about one of its sides.
To compute the volume and surface area of a cylinder, you only need to know its height and the radius of its base. The cylinder calculator below will tell you the surface area and volume if you input the height and radius, or you can use the formulas described below.
Cylinder Volume Formula
For a cylinder with a radius of R and a height of H the formula for its volume isVolume = (pi)R2H,
where pi is the geometrical constant 3.14159265358...
Example: Suppose a can is 11 cm tall and the diameter of the base is 8 cm. Then we have R = 4 and H = 11. Its volume is
(3.14159)(42)(11) = 552.92 cm3 or 552.92 mL.
Cylindrical Surface Area Formula
For a cylinder with a radius of R and a height of H, the formula for its total surface area (including both bases) isSurface Area = 2(pi)RH + 2(pi)R2.
The surface area formula excluding the top and bottom is simply
Surface Area = 2(pi)RH.
Example: Suppose a can is 10 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and has a label around the outside. To find the area of the label, we use the second surface area formula with R = 9 and H = 10. 2(3.14159)(9)(10) = 565.487 square inches.
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