How to find the volume of a prism

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Volume of a Prism

Here is the problem worked on video

What is a prism? A prism is a three dimensional figure with parallel bases.

The formula for finding the volume of a prism is just length X width X height

Let’s look at a problem

What is the volume of a prism with a base of 6 by 7 units and a height of 9 units?

 

volume of a prism

Step 1 Plug the units into the formula l * w * h    6*7*9

Step 2. Multiply 6*7*9 = 42*9

            42*9 = 378 units cubed (volume is always cubed)

 

Now a prism can be have different shaped bases. The key to finding the volume is to find the base area formula for that shape and then multiply this by the height.

Check here for a list of most base area formulas

For example, if you had a triangle shaped prism you would use ½ base x length x height to find the volume of the triangular prism

 

 

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