Volume, surface area and similarity

Volume is base area times height, a third of that for a cone; similar shapes scale every length equally.

A worked example

A cylinder of radius 5 cm and height 6 cm has volume 3.14 x 5² x 6 = 471 cm³.

The mistake people actually make

Use the radius in πr², not the diameter. Surface area covers every face, so a cube needs six squares counted, not one.

Practice this free