Mastering the Basics of Right Prism: Understanding Volume and Surface Area Formulas

right prism

a prism where each base is perpendicular to the other faces, the faces that are not bases are rectangles

A right prism is a three-dimensional geometric shape that has two parallel congruent bases that are connected by rectangular lateral faces. The lateral faces are perpendicular to the bases. The bases can be any polygon such as triangles, rectangles, squares, or even irregular shapes. The right prism is named so because the lateral edges are perpendicular to both the bases. Also, the right prism has rectangular lateral faces with all angles being right angles.

The volume of the right prism is calculated by multiplying the area of the base by the height of the prism. The formula for the volume of a right prism is V = BH, where B is the area of the base and H is the height of the prism. The surface area of a right prism is calculated by adding the areas of the two bases and the lateral faces. The formula for the total surface area of a right prism is A = 2B + Ph, where B is the area of the base, P is the perimeter of the base, and h is the height of the prism.

Examples of right prisms include a rectangular prism, a triangular prism, and a square prism. In a rectangular prism, both the bases are rectangles and the lateral faces are rectangles as well. A triangular prism has two triangular bases and three rectangular lateral faces. A square prism has two square bases and four rectangular lateral faces.

In summary, a right prism is a three-dimensional shape with two congruent parallel bases connected by rectangular lateral faces. The volume and surface area of a right prism can be calculated using the formulas V = BH and A = 2B + Ph respectively.

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