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Study Guides > Prealgebra

Introduction to Solving Problems Using Volume and Surface Area

Josie is a kindergarten teacher and wants to make felt toys for her students. These felt toys will be cylinders, meant to replicate cans. She wants to put the felt toys in the new play kitchen in her classroom. To find the amount of felt she needs, Josie will need to calculate the surface area of the cans she plans to make. This chapter will explain how to find surface area of different objects, including cylinders.  

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, you will be able to:
  • Find volume and surface area of rectangular solids
  • Find volume and surface area of spheres
  • Find volume and surface area of cylinders
  • Find volume of cones
  Before you get started in this module, try a few practice problems and review prior concepts.

readiness quiz

 
  1. Evaluate x3{x}^{3} when x=5x=5.If you missed this problem, review [link].
  2. Evaluate 2x{2}^{x} when x=5x=5.If you missed this problem, review [link].
  3. Find the area of a circle with radius 72\frac{7}{2}.If you missed this problem, review [link].
 
  In this section, we will finish our study of geometry applications. We find the volume and surface area of some three-dimensional figures. Since we will be solving applications, we will once again show our Problem-Solving Strategy for Geometry Applications. Problem Solving Strategy for Geometry Applications
  1. Read the problem and make sure you understand all the words and ideas. Draw the figure and label it with the given information.
  2. Identify what you are looking for.
  3. Name what you are looking for. Choose a variable to represent that quantity.
  4. Translate into an equation by writing the appropriate formula or model for the situation. Substitute in the given information.
  5. Solve the equation using good algebra techniques.
  6. Check the answer in the problem and make sure it makes sense.
  7. Answer the question with a complete sentence.
   

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