Lateral Area:
Notes
Lateral Area: For prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and cones, the area of the figure,
not including the bases.
Lateral Area for Prisms: Lateral Area = Perimeter x height
Examples:
1. Find the lateral area of the figure below:
2. Find the lateral area of a prism whose length is 7, width is 9, and height is 6.
3. Find the lateral area of the cylinder below. (L.A. = 2πrh)
4. The Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt, was built about 2580 B.C. as a final
resting place for Pharaoh Khufu. At the time it was built, its height was
about 481 ft. Each edge of the square base was about 756 ft long. What was
the lateral area of the pyramid? (L.A = ½ P x slant height)
5. The surface area of a cube is 864 square inches. Find the length of the
lateral edge of the cube.
6. An office has recycling barrels for cans and paper. The barrels are
cylindrical with cardboard sides and plastic lids and bases. Each barrel is 3
ft tall, and the diameter is 30 inches. How many square feet of cardboard
are used to make each barrel?
7. The roof of a birdhouse is a regular hexagonal pyramid. The base of the
pyramid has sides of 4 inches, and the slant height of the roof is 12 inches.
If the roof is made of copper, find the amount of copper used for the roof?
8. The roof on a building is a square pyramid with no base. If the altitude of
the pyramid measures 5 feet and the slant height measures 20 feet, find
the area of the roof.
9. Diego has a conical lamp shade with an altitude of 6 inches and a diameter of
12 inches. Find the lateral area of the lampshade. (L.A. = πr x slant height)
(hint: must use Pythagorean Theorem to find slant height)
10. Many states use cone structure to store salt used to melt snow on highways
and roads. Find the lateral area of one of these cone structures if the
building measures 24 feet tall and the diameter is 45 feet.