Unit 5, Lesson 13
The Volume of a Cylinder
Grade 8
Preparation
Lesson Narrative
In this lesson students learn that the volume of a cylinder is the area of the base times the height, just like a prism. This is accomplished by considering one-unit-tall layers of a rectangular prism side by side with one-unit-tall layers of a cylinder (MP7). After thinking about how to compute the volume of specific cylinders, students learn the general formulas and .
Students will continue to work with the formula for the volume of a cylinder in different ways in future lessons.
The third activity is optional. Use this activity if students need additional practice identifying the radius and height in cylinders.
- Calculate the volume of a cylinder, and compare and contrast (orally) the formula for volume of a cylinder with the formula for volume of a prism.
- Explain (orally) how to find the volume of a cylinder using the area of the base and height of the cylinder.
Let’s explore cylinders and their volumes.
Required Materials
Activity 3
Required Preparation
If possible, build a rectangular prism from 48 snap cubes to match the first diagram in the task statement.