Surface area triangular prism formula how to#

TSA = 2 x Triangle End + Bottom Rectangle + Left Rectangle + Right Rectangle. Therefore we usually create Nets for all Triangular Prisms and then use the General Approach:

These irregular triangles do not follow our formula. The problem with Triangular Prisms, is that we can have triangular ends which are not symmetrical, as shown in the example below. The above formula only works for Triangular Prisms which have Isosceles or Equilateral Triangular ends. If we assign Algebra letter values for Length, Width, Height, and Sloping Side Leght on a Triangular Prism, we can work out the following Formula for the TSA of a symmetrically shaped Triangular Prism. If we have measurements for our Triangular Prism, then we can calculate the TSA using the shapes on the 2D Net. The Toblerone chocolate bar packaging is a classic example of a Triangular Prism. This next video goes through a Practical problem about painting a wooden chest.

Surface area triangular prism formula how to#

The following Video shows how to calculate the TSA of a Rectangular Prism using both Nets and the Formula. This saves us having to draw out the flat 2D Net of the shape. If we have the Length, Width, and Height values for a Rectangular Prism, we can calculate its TSA by using the TSA Formula. The following Video shows how to calculate the TSA of a rectangular Prism without using Nets. TSA of Rectangular Prisms Using the TSA Formula The following Video shows how to derive the above TSA formula for a Rectangular Prism. If we assign Algebra letter values for Length, Width, and Height on a Rectangular Prism, we can work out the following general Formula for the TSA of any Rectangular Prism. The following video shows how to calculate the Volume of a Rectangular Prism by unfolding it into its Net. To determine the TSA, we need to find the area of all six rectangles, and then add up these areas to find the total area. Image Copyright 2013 by Passy’s World of Mathematicsįrom the above Net, we can see that a Rectangular Prism is made of 3 pairs of Rectangles, which creates a Net containing a total of six rectangles.

One method of calculating the TSA (Total Surface Area) is to “unfold” a 3D shape, into its flat “2D” net which the shape is made from.

In this lesson we show how to calculate the Total Surface Area of Rectangular and Triangular Prisms, including Cylinders, as well as the TSA of Pyramids. Total Surface Area (“TSA”) is important for Painters, so that they know how much paint will be required for a job.Įngineers, Designers, Scientists, Builders, Concreters, Carpet Layers, and other occupations also use Total Surface Areas as part of their work.