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Mensuration Concepts
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Mensuration Concepts

Learn formulas and techniques for perimeter, area, surface area, and volume of common geometric shapes.

1. Basic Area and Perimeter of Common Shapes

  • Formula:
Rectangle: A=lb,P=2(l+b) \text{Rectangle: }A=lb,\quad P=2(l+b) Square: A=a2,P=4a \text{Square: }A=a^2,\quad P=4a Triangle: A=12bh \text{Triangle: }A=\frac12 bh Circle: A=πr2,C=2πr \text{Circle: }A=\pi r^2,\quad C=2\pi r
  • Example: Find the area and perimeter of a rectangle of length 12 cm and breadth 8 cm. Solution:
A=12×8=96 cm2 A=12\times8=\boxed{96\text{ cm}^2} P=2(12+8)=40 cm P=2(12+8)=\boxed{40\text{ cm}}

2. Basic Volume and Surface Area of Solids

  • Formula:
Cuboid: V=lbh,TSA=2(lb+bh+hl) \text{Cuboid: }V=lbh,\quad TSA=2(lb+bh+hl) Cube: V=a3,TSA=6a2 \text{Cube: }V=a^3,\quad TSA=6a^2 Cylinder: V=πr2h,CSA=2πrh \text{Cylinder: }V=\pi r^2h,\quad CSA=2\pi rh Sphere: V=43πr3,SA=4πr2 \text{Sphere: }V=\frac43\pi r^3,\quad SA=4\pi r^2
  • Example: Find the volume of a cylinder with radius 7 cm and height 10 cm. Solution:
V=π(7)2(10) V=\pi(7)^2(10)

Using (\pi=\frac{22}{7}):

V=227×49×10=1540 cm3 V=\frac{22}{7}\times49\times10 =\boxed{1540\text{ cm}^3}

3. Melting & Recasting Shapes

  • Formula: Volume remains constant during melting and recasting:
Voriginal=Vnew V_{\text{original}}=V_{\text{new}}

Number of new objects:

n=VoriginalVone new object n=\frac{V_{\text{original}}}{V_{\text{one new object}}}
  • Example: A solid cube of side 8 cm is melted and recast into cubes of side 2 cm. How many cubes are formed? Solution:
Vlarge=83=512 cm3 V_{\text{large}}=8^3=512\text{ cm}^3 Vsmall=23=8 cm3 V_{\text{small}}=2^3=8\text{ cm}^3 n=5128=64 n=\frac{512}{8} =\boxed{64}

4. Melting & Recasting — Different Shapes

  • Formula:
V1=V2 V_1=V_2

For example, cylinder into spheres:

πR2h=n(43πr3) \pi R^2h=n\left(\frac43\pi r^3\right)
  • Example: A cylinder of radius 6 cm and height 8 cm is melted into spheres of radius 2 cm. How many spheres are formed? Solution:
π(6)2(8)=n(43π(2)3) \pi(6)^2(8) =n\left(\frac43\pi(2)^3\right) 288π=n(323π) 288\pi=n\left(\frac{32}{3}\pi\right) n=27 n=27 27 spheres \boxed{27\text{ spheres}}

5. Path Inside a Rectangular Field

  • Formula:
Path area=Outer areaInner area \text{Path area} =\text{Outer area}-\text{Inner area}

For a path of width (x) inside a rectangle (l\times b):

Apath=lb(l2x)(b2x) A_{\text{path}} =lb-(l-2x)(b-2x)
  • Example: A rectangular park is 60 m × 40 m. A 5 m wide path runs inside all around. Find the path area. Solution: Inner dimensions:
6010=50,4010=30 60-10=50,\qquad40-10=30

Outer area:

60×40=2400 60\times40=2400

Inner area:

50×30=1500 50\times30=1500

Therefore:

900 m2 \boxed{900\text{ m}^2}

6. Path Outside a Rectangular Field

  • Formula: If a path of width (x) runs outside:
Apath=(l+2x)(b+2x)lb A_{\text{path}} =(l+2x)(b+2x)-lb
  • Example: A 50 m × 30 m rectangular park has a 2 m wide path outside it. Find the area of the path. Solution: Outer dimensions:
54×34 54\times34

Outer area:

1836 m2 1836\text{ m}^2

Park area:

50×30=1500 m2 50\times30=1500\text{ m}^2

Path area:

18361500=336 m2 1836-1500 =\boxed{336\text{ m}^2}

7. Circular Path / Ring

  • Formula: For an annulus with outer radius (R) and inner radius (r):
A=π(R2r2) A=\pi(R^2-r^2)

If the path has width (x):

R=r+x R=r+x
  • Example: A circular garden has radius 14 m and an outside path of width 2 m. Find the area of the path. Solution:
R=14+2=16,r=14 R=14+2=16,\qquad r=14 A=π(162142) A=\pi(16^2-14^2) =π(256196)=60π =\pi(256-196)=60\pi 13207 m2188.57 m2 \boxed{\frac{1320}{7}\text{ m}^2\approx188.57\text{ m}^2}

8. Composite Figures — Area

  • Formula:
Area of composite figure=areas of component shapes \text{Area of composite figure} =\sum\text{areas of component shapes}

Subtract areas of removed/cut-out regions.

  • Example: A rectangle 20 cm × 14 cm has a semicircle of diameter 14 cm attached to one side. Find the total area. Solution: Rectangle:
20×14=280 20\times14=280

Semicircle:

12π(7)2=49π2 \frac12\pi(7)^2=\frac{49\pi}{2}

Total:

280+49π2 280+\frac{49\pi}{2}

Using (\pi=\frac{22}{7}):

280+77=357 cm2 280+77 =\boxed{357\text{ cm}^2}

9. Hollow Cylinder / Pipe

  • Formula:
Vmaterial=π(R2r2)h V_{\text{material}} =\pi(R^2-r^2)h

where (R) = outer radius and (r) = inner radius.

  • Example: A hollow cylindrical pipe has outer radius 7 cm, inner radius 5 cm and length 20 cm. Find the volume of material. Solution:
V=π(7252)(20) V=\pi(7^2-5^2)(20) =π(4925)(20)=480π =\pi(49-25)(20) =480\pi 1508 cm3 \boxed{\approx1508\text{ cm}^3}

10. Hollow Cylinder — Material Thickness

  • Formula:
Thickness=Rr \text{Thickness}=R-r

and:

Vmaterial=π(R2r2)h V_{\text{material}}=\pi(R^2-r^2)h
  • Example: A pipe has outer diameter 14 cm and inner diameter 10 cm. Find its thickness. Solution:
R=7,r=5 R=7,\qquad r=5 Thickness=75=2 cm \text{Thickness}=7-5 =\boxed{2\text{ cm}}

11. Sector — Area

  • Formula:
Asector=θ360πr2 A_{\text{sector}} =\frac{\theta}{360}\pi r^2
  • Example: Find the area of a sector of radius 14 cm and angle (60^\circ). Solution:
A=60360×227×142 A=\frac{60}{360}\times\frac{22}{7}\times14^2 =16×616=3083 cm2 =\frac16\times616 =\boxed{\frac{308}{3}\text{ cm}^2} 102.67 cm2 \approx\boxed{102.67\text{ cm}^2}

12. Arc Length

  • Formula:
L=θ360×2πr L=\frac{\theta}{360}\times2\pi r
  • Example: Find the arc length of a (90^\circ) sector of radius 14 cm. Solution:
L=90360×2×227×14 L=\frac{90}{360}\times2\times\frac{22}{7}\times14 =14×88=22 cm =\frac14\times88 =\boxed{22\text{ cm}}

13. Perimeter of a Sector

  • Formula:
Perimeter=2r+Arc length \text{Perimeter}=2r+\text{Arc length}
  • Example: Find the perimeter of a (90^\circ) sector of radius 7 cm. Solution: Arc length:
90360×2π(7)=11 cm \frac{90}{360}\times2\pi(7)=11\text{ cm}

Therefore:

P=14+11=25 cm P=14+11 =\boxed{25\text{ cm}}

14. Segment of a Circle

  • Formula:
Area of segment=Area of sectorArea of triangle \text{Area of segment} =\text{Area of sector}-\text{Area of triangle}
  • Example: A sector of radius 7 cm has angle (90^\circ). Find the area of the minor segment. Solution: Sector area:
14π(7)2=49π4 \frac14\pi(7)^2=\frac{49\pi}{4}

Triangle area:

12(7)(7)=492 \frac12(7)(7)=\frac{49}{2}

Therefore:

Asegment=49π4492 A_{\text{segment}} =\frac{49\pi}{4}-\frac{49}{2}

Using (\pi=\frac{22}{7}):

=38.524.5=14 cm2 =38.5-24.5 =\boxed{14\text{ cm}^2}

15. Surface Area of Combined Solids

  • Formula: Add only the exposed surfaces:
SAcomposite=sum of exposed component surfaces SA_{\text{composite}} =\text{sum of exposed component surfaces}

Do not count surfaces where two solids are joined.

  • Example: A hemisphere of radius 7 cm is attached to the top of a cylinder of radius 7 cm and height 10 cm. Find the exposed surface area. Solution: Exposed area = cylinder CSA + cylinder bottom + hemisphere CSA:
2πrh+πr2+2πr2 2\pi rh+\pi r^2+2\pi r^2 =2π(7)(10)+3π(49) =2\pi(7)(10)+3\pi(49) =140π+147π=287π =140\pi+147\pi=287\pi

Using (\pi=\frac{22}{7}):

902 cm2 \boxed{902\text{ cm}^2}

Advanced Variants

16. Recasting with Loss of Material

  • Formula: If a percentage (p%) of material is lost:
Vnew=Voriginal(1p100) V_{\text{new}}=V_{\text{original}}\left(1-\frac p{100}\right)
  • Example: A metal cube of volume 1,000 cm³ is recast after a 10% loss of material. Find the volume of the final product. Solution:
Vnew=1000(10.10) V_{\text{new}}=1000(1-0.10) =900 cm3 =\boxed{900\text{ cm}^3}

17. Recasting into Equal-Capacity Containers

  • Formula:
n=VoriginalVone container n=\frac{V_{\text{original}}}{V_{\text{one container}}}

Equivalently, for similar cubes:

n=(ab)3 n=\left(\frac{a}{b}\right)^3
  • Example: A cube of side 12 cm is recast into cubes of side 3 cm. Find the number of smaller cubes. Solution:
n=(123)3=43=64 n=\left(\frac{12}{3}\right)^3 =4^3 =\boxed{64}

18. Path with Corner Squares

  • Formula: For an inner path around a rectangle:
Apath=lb(l2x)(b2x) A_{\text{path}}=lb-(l-2x)(b-2x)

This automatically includes the four corner regions.

  • Example: A 40 m × 30 m rectangular field has a 2 m wide path inside. Find the path area. Solution:
A=40(30)(36)(26) A=40(30)-(36)(26) =1200936=264 m2 =1200-936 =\boxed{264\text{ m}^2}

19. Frustum of a Cone

  • Formula:
V=13πh(R2+r2+Rr) V=\frac13\pi h(R^2+r^2+Rr)

Curved surface area:

CSA=π(R+r)l CSA=\pi(R+r)l
  • Example: A frustum has radii 6 cm and 3 cm and height 4 cm. Find its volume. Solution:
V=13π(4)(36+9+18) V=\frac13\pi(4)(36+9+18) =43π(63)=84π cm3 =\frac43\pi(63) =\boxed{84\pi\text{ cm}^3}

20. Similar Solids — Volume Ratio

  • Formula: For similar solids:
V1V2=(l1l2)3 \frac{V_1}{V_2} =\left(\frac{l_1}{l_2}\right)^3

Surface-area ratio:

SA1SA2=(l1l2)2 \frac{SA_1}{SA_2} =\left(\frac{l_1}{l_2}\right)^2
  • Example: Two similar cubes have sides in the ratio (2:3). Find their volume ratio. Solution:
V1:V2=23:33 V_1:V_2=2^3:3^3 =8:27 =\boxed{8:27}

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