Lesson 4: Surface Area of 3-D Objects
Explore 2
Try This
Review the results you obtained for your Math Lab data and analysis. In your analysis of the results, you evaluated the ratio . You also looked at what other students obtained for this ratio. Did you find that the ratio was close to 3.14? In fact, under ideal circumstances, this ratio would be π.
TT 4. What might be some reasons why someone doing the Math Lab did not get a number that was close to π?
Use the link below to check your answers to Try This 4.
Possible TT4 ( Try This 4) Solutions
Now, see what happens if you take the ratio and rearrange it.

You can take the formula further by substituting d = 2r.
This is the formula for the surface area of a sphere, in terms of the radius.
Add this formula to your list of formulas. You should save your list of formulas to your course folder.
Read
Read “Example 1: Determining the Surface Area of a Sphere” on page 47 to see how the formula A = 4
Self-Check
SC 5. Find the surface area of the following sphere to the nearest square metre.

SC 6. Determine the radius of a sphere with a surface area of 64
cm2. Report your answer to the nearest centimetre.
Try This
From the examples, you have learned that you can determine the surface area of a sphere using the formula A = 4
r2. You have also seen how the formula can be used to determine the radius of a sphere, if you know the surface area.
Practice what you have learned by completing TT 5 in your course folder ( binder).
Foundations and Pre-calculus Mathematics 10 (Pearson) textbook
TT 5. Complete “Exercises” questions 3.a), 3.c), 8, 9, 13.a), 13.b), and 15 on pages 51 and 52.
Use the link below to check your answers to Try This 5.
There are other ways of determining the surface area of 3-D objects besides analyzing their nets. Often in mathematics, you can discover properties of unfamiliar objects by examining the properties of familiar ones.
For example, the cone is a 3-D object that is shaped much like a pyramid. Like a pyramid, a cone has only one base and the lateral faces of the cone meet at a point called the apex.

The illustration above shows that as you increase the number of sides on the base, the number of faces also increases. The area of each face also becomes smaller.
Eventually, the polygon base approaches the shape of a circle and the lateral area of the pyramid approaches the lateral area of the cone.
You can figure out the formula for the surface area of a cone with this idea in mind.

Consider the formula for the surface area of a rectangular pyramid, as shown in the illustration. The height of the triangular faces, or slant height, is labelled s. The sides of the base are labelled a, b, c, and d.

In the case of a cone, the perimeter of the base is really the circumference of a circle, so its surface area formula would be

Read
Foundations and Pre-calculus Mathematics 10 (Pearson)
Self-Check
Now that you have watched some videos and had a chance to talk with your classmates, it is your turn to try some Self-Check questions to see if you have figured out surface area.

SC 7. When assembled, the net in the preceding illustration will create a
- cube
- cylinder
- cone
- prism
SC 8. Determine the surface area of the following cone to the nearest square foot.

Try This
Complete the following questions in your course folder ( binder).
Foundations and Pre-calculus Mathematics 10 (Pearson)
TT 6. Complete “Exercises” questions 7, 12, and 16.a) on pages 34 and 35.
Use the link below to check your answers to Try This 6.