The surface area of a three-dimensional solid is the sum of the areas of the faces of the solid. Surface area is a different concept from that of volume. For example, surface area is the amount of sheet metal needed to build a rectangular fuel tank while volume is the amount of fuel that the tank can contain.
Rectangular Solid
The formula for the surface area of a rectangular solid [Figure 1-24] is given as:

Surface Area =
2 × [(Width × Length) + (Width × Height) + (Length × Height)] = 2 × [(W × L) + (W × H) + (L × H)]Cube
The formula for the surface area of a cube [Figure 1‑25] is given as:

Surface Area = 6 × (Side × Side) = 6 × S2
Example: What is the surface area of a cube with a side measure of 8 inches?
Surface Area = 6 × (Side × Side)
= 6 × S2 = 6 × 82 = 6 × 64 = 384 square inches
Cylinder
The formula for the surface area of a cylinder [Figure 1-26] is given as:

Sphere
The formula for the surface area of a sphere [Figure 1-28] is given as:

Cone
The formula for the surface area of a right circular cone [Figure 1-29] is given as:

Figure 1-30 summarizes the formulas for computing the volume and surface area of three-dimensional solids.

and surface area.
Flight Mechanic Recommends
