Year 11 - Maths
Checking and securing understanding of surface area of other prisms
2D and 3D shape: surface area and volume (pyramids, spheres and cones)
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils will further develop their understanding of shapes by considering the surface area and volume of pyramids, spheres and cones.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to efficiently calculate the surface area of other prisms.
Key Notes
- The surface area of a prism is the sum of the area of all the faces.
- The net of a prism can help find the surface area of a prism but can be time consuming.
- Using known area facts the area of all the faces can be found and summed.
- It is important to find the surface area systematically and efficiently.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Prism: A prism is a polyhedron with a base that is a polygon and a parallel opposite face that is identical. The corresponding edges of the two polygons are joined by parallelograms.
- Surface area: The surface area is the total area of all the surfaces of a closed 3D shape. The surfaces include all faces and any curved surfaces.
- Net: The net of a 3D object is a 2D representation of its surfaces that can be folded up into the 3D object.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils can miss out some faces of the prism when calculating the surface area.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Solve this in steps: explain the method from this lesson and why each step matters.
The surface area of a prism is the sum of the area of all the faces. The net of a prism can help find the surface area of a prism but can be time consuming.
2. Use this key word in a maths sentence and explain it clearly. 'Prism'
A prism is a polyhedron with a base that is a polygon and a parallel opposite face that is identical. The corresponding edges of the two polygons are joined by parallelograms. Use this word when showing your method, then check your final answer is reasonable.
3. Spot and fix this common maths mistake.
Mistake: Pupils can miss out some faces of the prism when calculating the surface area. Correction: Encourage pupils to sketch out the net of the prism and label it clearly, to ensure that they include all faces in their calculation of the surface area. This will allow their answer to be checked more easily.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Advanced problem solving with further surface area and volume Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of nets of solids Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of surface area of a cylinder Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of surface area of cuboids Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of volume of a cylinder Study Guide
- Checking and securing understanding of volume of prisms Study Guide
- Forming equations involving complex shape calculations Study Guide
- Problem solving with further surface area and volume Study Guide
- Surface area of a frustum of a cone Study Guide
- Surface area of composite solids Study Guide
- The surface area of a cone Study Guide
- The surface area of a pyramid Study Guide
- The surface area of a sphere Study Guide
- The volume of a cone Study Guide
- The volume of a pyramid Study Guide
- The volume of a sphere Study Guide
- Volume of a frustum of a cone Study Guide
- Volume of composite solids Study Guide
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