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Lesson 1 of 11

Two solids, one object

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8 min

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A round-bottomed toy, a tent, a capsule. None is a single basic solid.

A toy: one smooth outline.
Step 1 of 4
  1. A toy: one smooth outline.
  2. A hidden seam runs round the middle.
  3. Above the seam sits a cone.
  4. Below the seam sits a dome.

Basic solids, joined

An object can be built from basic solids joined face to face. The join is a flat face where two solids meet.

  • A round-bottomed toy is a cone on a hemisphere.
  • A tent is a cone on a cylinder.
  • A capsule is a cylinder with a hemisphere at each end.

A hemisphere is half of a sphere. Its curved part is also called a dome.

Here are the formulas for the basic solids. In them, r is the radius and h is the height. For a cone, l is the slant height. That is the length along its sloping side. In a cuboid, l, b and h are length, breadth, height.

The basic solids and their formulas
SolidCurved surfaceTotal surfaceVolume
Cylinder2πrh2πr(r + h)πr²h
Coneπrlπr(l + r)(1/3)πr²h
Sphere4πr²4πr²(4/3)πr³
Hemisphere2πr²3πr²(2/3)πr³
Cuboidnone2(lb + bh + hl)lbh

The book writes CSA for curved surface area. It writes TSA for total surface area. That is the curved surface plus the flat faces.

A cone mounted on a hemisphere has the cone on top. A cone surmounted by a hemisphere has the hemisphere on top.

Name each basic solid in the object. Find where the solids join. A join is a flat face where one solid meets another.

A test tube is a cylinder with a hemisphere at one end.

Name the solids in six objects.

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