Cylinder: Surface Area and Volume

For a right circular cylinder of radius r and height h, curved surface area is $CSA = 2\pi r h$, total surface area is $TSA = 2\pi r(r + h)$, and volume is $V = \pi r^2 h$. The two circular caps add $2\pi r^2$ to the curved surface.

Slide r and h to reshape the cylinder. Try r = 7, h = 10 to see CSA = 440, TSA = 748, volume = 1540 (using $\pi \approx 22/7$). Increase only h to see volume grow linearly.

Students mix up CSA and TSA, forgetting to add the two end circles for TSA. Also, $\pi r^2 h$ is volume, not surface area - units must be cubic. Always double-check what the question asks.

Water-storage drums, cooking-gas cylinders and tin cans are cylinders. Knowing the volume helps estimate how many litres a roadside water tank holds. The lab makes these workshop measurements quick.