Look At It This Way

CHAPTER 11: Surface Area and Volume

 

Volume / Surface Area Explorer allows students to work with volume and surface area of prisms.

To use Volume / Surface Area Explorer, click on the "SET TYPE" button to select the prism called "Right Prism". You can adjust the height, apothem (which is similar to the width and length), and perspective of the prism using the sliders in the bottom right corner. You can also click the "SET NUMBER OF SIDES" button to adjust the number of sides in the prism. To work with a rectangular prism, set the number of sides to 4. (Note: Students can also work with the surface area and volume of cones and pyramids with this explorer, but that is beyond the expectations of Grade 7.)

You can change the view of the prism by clicking on the "TOP VIEW", "SIDE VIEW", or "PERSPECTIVE" buttons.

The area above the prism displays the number of sides and the volume and surface area of the prism. You can click on the "SHOW VOLUME" button to see how the volume of the prism was calculated. You can also click on the "SHOW SURFACE AREA" button to see how the surface area of the prism was calculated.