Surface area of a cylinder

P=2\pi r^2+2\pi r H

Result unit: area units

What it describes

The total surface area of a cylinder (two bases and the lateral surface).

P

surface area

r

base radius

H

height

The total area is the two bases (circles) plus the lateral surface, which when unrolled is a rectangle with dimensions circumference × height (

2\pi r\cdot H

Surface area of a cylinder; how much sheet metal a can needs.

Radius 2, height 5. Find the total surface area of the cylinder.

Substitution

r=2

H=5

Result

P=2\pi\cdot4+2\pi\cdot2\cdot5=28\pi\approx87.9

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