Paritian

Mathematics

Prism Volume Calculator

Volume and surface area of a prism whose base is a regular polygon — triangular, square, hexagonal or any other.

Results

Volume 69.2820
Area of the base 6.9282
Perimeter of the base 12.0000 m
Area of the sides 120.0000
Total surface area 133.8564
Apothem of the base 1.1547 m
Volume 69,282.032 L

What this tool does

Every prism obeys one rule: the volume is the base area times the length, however many sides the base has. This page takes the base as a regular polygon, so the same three numbers cover a triangular prism, a square one, a hexagonal one, and everything between. Push the number of sides high enough and the answer creeps towards a cylinder, which is exactly what a prism with infinitely many sides is.

Formula

base = n s² ÷ (4 tan(π ÷ n)) · V = base × length · lateral = n s × length

Variables

SymbolMeaningUnit
nSides of the base polygon
sLength of each base sidem
lenLength of the prismm
VVolume
BAArea of the base
BPPerimeter of the basem
LAArea of the sides
TATotal surface area
APApothem of the basem
LIVolumeL

Worked example

  • Sides of the base polygon3
  • Length of each base side4 m
  • Length of the prism10 m
  • Volume69.2820 m³
  • Area of the base6.9282 m²
  • Perimeter of the base12.0000 m
  • Area of the sides120.0000 m²
  • Total surface area133.8564 m²
  • Apothem of the base1.1547 m
  • Volume69,282.032 L

Limitations

  • Mixing units is the most common source of error. Convert every input to the units shown next to each field before calculating.
  • The calculation runs at full precision and only the display is rounded. If you copy an intermediate value and retype it, small differences can appear.