In this explainer, we will learn how to identify the parts of pyramids and cones and use the Pythagorean theorem to find their dimensions.
We recall that the Pythagorean theorem describes the relationship between the lengths of the three sides of a right triangle, and we should already be familiar with applying this result to problems in two dimensions.
Theorem: The Pythagorean Theorem in Two Dimensions
In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two shorter sides. For the triangle below,
The Pythagorean theorem can be applied to three-dimensional problems in a number of ways. One method is to use right triangles contained within the faces of the three-dimensional object or to take two-dimensional βslicesβ through its interior. To identify such triangles, we need to be familiar with the parts and properties of some common three-dimensional objects, such as pyramids and cones.
We recall first two special types of pyramids. First, a right pyramid is a pyramid whose apex is vertically above the center, or in the case of a triangle, the centroid, of its base. Second, a regular pyramid is a right pyramid whose base is a regular polygon.
Key Terms: Parts of a Pyramid
Consider the regular square pyramid in the figure below. We recall the terminology used to describe the lengths and parts of a pyramid. The perpendicular height of a pyramid is the perpendicular distance between the apex of the pyramid and its base, and it is perpendicular to any straight line it intersects in the pyramidβs base. The slant height of a pyramid is the perpendicular distance from one of the sides of the base to the apex of the pyramid. We can note that the slant height will be the same in the four lateral faces.
Key Terms: Parts of a Cone
In the figure below, we recall the terminology used to describe the lengths and parts of a cone. We note that the main lengths in a cone are the slant height, the perpendicular height, and the base radius of the cone. These three lengths form a right triangle.
In the course of this explainer, we will see examples of how we can apply the Pythagorean theorem to right triangles within both pyramids and cones to calculate unknown lengths. In our first example, however, we will consider how to find the area of a diagonal shape contained within a cube, given the cubeβs edge length.
Example 1: Finding the Area of a Diagonal Shape in a Cube given Its Dimensions
Given that is a cube whose edge length is cm and is the midpoint of , find the area of the rectangle .
Answer
We recall first that the area of a rectangle is found using the formula . For rectangle , the area will therefore be equal to .
The length of is cm as it is parallel to the edge of the cube and has the same length. To find the length of consider the square base of the cube. As is the midpoint of , it divides into two equal parts, each of length . As all of the interior angles of a square are , the triangle formed by , , and is a right triangle at .
The hypotenuse of this triangle is and so, by the Pythagorean theorem,
Substituting for and for gives
We solve this equation by first evaluating each square and then simplifying:
Taking the square root of each side of the equation gives
The area of rectangle is therefore equal to
We now consider two examples relating to pyramids. In the first example, we calculate the height of a pyramid whose base is an equilateral triangle, given the triangleβs side length and the length of the pyramidβs lateral edge.
Example 2: Finding the Height of a Pyramid by Applying the Pythagorean Theorem
is a regular pyramid whose base is an equilateral triangle whose side length is 32 cm. If the length of its lateral edge is 88 cm, find the height of the pyramid to the nearest hundredth.
Answer
We begin by sketching the pyramid as shown below (not to scale).
We are asked to calculate the height of the pyramid. This is the vertical distance from its vertex to the center of the base of the pyramid, which we will label . We draw this height on our diagram and also the line connecting one vertex of the base to point .
is the lateral edge of this pyramid, the length of which is given in the question. is a line segment on the base of the pyramid, and is the vertical height of the pyramid, which is perpendicular to . Hence, we have a right triangle formed by , , and . By the Pythagorean theorem,
The length of is given in the question. In order to calculate the length of , it is first required that we calculate the length of .
Now consider the equilateral triangular base of the pyramid. Point is the centroid of this triangle, the point at which the three medians of the triangle intersect. Point is the midpoint of side .
As triangle is equilateral, its three medians are all of equal length. We also know that the centroid of a triangle divides each median in the ratio from the vertex. Hence, and .
Now consider triangle . This is a right triangle at as the median divides the equilateral triangle into two congruent right triangles. The length of is half the length of , so it is 16 cm. We can therefore apply the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the length of , which will then enable us to calculate the length of .
Applying the Pythagorean theorem in triangle , we have
Substituting and gives
We solve for by square rooting:
We can then calculate the length of by recalling that :
Finally, we return to our application of the Pythagorean theorem in triangle ,
Substituting and gives
Subtracting from each side of the equation and evaluating the squares gives
We solve for by square rooting:
The height of the pyramid, to the nearest hundredth, is 86.04 cm.
We now consider a problem in which we are given the net of a pyramid and are required to calculate its vertical height and its slant height. We will need to interpret the net carefully to understand which of the pyramidβs dimensions have been given.
Example 3: Finding the Vertical Height and Slant Height of a Square Pyramid given the Dimensions of Its Net
Consider the net of a square pyramid with the shown dimensions.
- Find, to the nearest hundredth, the pyramidβs height.
- Find, to the nearest hundredth, the pyramidβs slant height.
Answer
Part 1
Let us begin by sketching the pyramid in three dimensions. From the net, we identify that the side length of the square base is 5 cm. The lines of length 4 cm represent the other two sides of the pyramidβs triangular faces, and so we deduce that the length of the pyramidβs lateral edge is 4 cm.
Point on our sketch is the point at which the vertical line drawn from the apex of the pyramid meets the pyramidβs square base. This point is in the center of the base. The vertical height of the pyramid is , which is perpendicular to any line in the pyramidβs base passing through point . In particular, it is perpendicular to the line segments joining point to each of the pyramidβs vertices. Hence, the triangle formed by the vertical height , the lateral edge , and is a right triangle at , as shown below.
Hence, by the Pythagorean theorem,
The length of is given, but it is necessary that we calculate the length of before we can calculate the length of . Consider the square base of the pyramid, and recall that lies in the center of this square. We also recall that the center of a square is the intersection point of the two diagonals, and both diagonals bisect each other.
The length of is half the length of diagonal . This diagonal divides the square base into two congruent right triangles. Hence, by the Pythagorean theorem in triangle ,
Substituting 5 for each of and gives
We solve for by square rooting:
The length of is half this value:
Returning to our earlier statement of the Pythagorean theorem in triangle , we substitute for and 4 for to give the following equation:
This equation can be solved by first evaluating the squares and then isolating :
Finally, we solve for by finding the square root of each side of this equation:
The vertical height of the pyramid, to the nearest hundredth, is 1.87 cm.
Part 2
We now draw in the slant height of the pyramid along one of its faces. We define to be the midpoint of side .
The slant height forms a right triangle with the perpendicular height of the pyramid and the line segment connecting points and , that is, the line segment connecting the center of the base with the midpoint of one of the sides of the base. Hence, by the Pythagorean theorem,
In the first part of the question, we determined the value of to be . is parallel to side of the pyramidβs base, and as is the center of the base, . Hence, the length of is cm. Substituting these values into our statement of the Pythagorean theorem in triangle gives
Evaluating and simplifying gives
To solve for , we find the square root of each side of this equation:
The slant height of the pyramid, to the nearest hundredth, is 3.12 cm.
We now consider problems related to cones. In our next example, we will calculate the circumference and base area of a right circular cone by first finding its radius. Recall that, in such a cone, the relationship between the base radius, the perpendicular height, and the slant height can be described using the Pythagorean theorem.
Example 4: Finding the Circumference and Area of the Base of a Right Circular Cone given Its Heights by Applying the Pythagorean Theorem
A right circular cone has height 90 cm and slant height 106 cm. Find the circumference and area of the base in terms of .
Answer
We recall first the formulas for calculating the circumference and area of a circle: and , where represents the radius. Hence, we are required to first calculate the radius of the coneβs circular base.
We now sketch the cone. Recall that the height of a right circular cone, often denoted by , is the perpendicular distance between the center of the base and the apex of the cone. The slant height, denoted by , is the distance from any point on the circumference of the circular base to the apex, along the surface of the cone.
Next, we note that if we draw the radius of the cone, the triangle formed by the radius, the height, and the slant height of the cone is a right triangle.
Hence, by the Pythagorean theorem,
Subtracting from each side of the equation and simplifying give
We solve for by taking the positive square root:
Substituting into the formula for the circumference of a circle gives
The question specifies that our answers should be given in terms of , so we are not required to evaluate this.
Substituting the value of from our penultimate stage of working into the formula for the area of a circle gives
Hence, the circumference of the circular base is cm and the area is cm2.
Example 5: Using the Pythagorean Theorem to Calculate the Height of a Cone given Its Net
A piece of paper in the shape of a circular sector having a radius of 72 cm and an angle of is folded in a way so that the points and meet to form a circular cone of the greatest possible area. Determine the coneβs height to the nearest hundredth.
Answer
The given figure represents the net of the cone. We will begin by sketching the cone in three dimensions. The slant height of the folded cone will be equivalent to the length of the line segments joining each of points and to the center of the circular sector. This is the length of the radius of the sector, which is given in the question as 72 cm. If the cone is to have the greatest possible area, then the paper must not overlap, and so the circumference of the circle at the base of the cone must be equal to the arc length of the circular sector.
We recall that the base radius, perpendicular height, and slant height of a cone form a right triangle. Hence, by applying the Pythagorean theorem to this right triangle in the cone above, we have
To determine the height of the cone, we must first calculate its base radius. We will begin by calculating the arc length of the circular sector, which is equal to the circumference of the circular base. Recall the formula where is the central angle of the sector, measured in degrees, and is the radius. Note that we have used a capital here to distinguish this length from the radius of the coneβs base. We can then substitute and to calculate the arc length:
As the arc length of the circular sector is equal to the circumference of the coneβs circular base, we can calculate the radius of the circle by recalling the formula . Hence,
Dividing both sides of this equation by gives
Finally, we substitute this value of into our earlier statement of the Pythagorean theorem:
Evaluating the squares gives
To solve for , we first subtract 3βββ025 from each side of the equation and then find the square root:
The height of the cone, to the nearest hundredth, is 46.47 cm.
Let us finish by recapping some key points from this explainer.
Key Points
- The two-dimensional Pythagorean theorem can be applied to right triangles within the faces of a three-dimensional object, or to two-dimensional slices through its interior, in order to calculate unknown lengths.
- The perpendicular height of a regular pyramid is perpendicular to any
straight line passing through the center of its base and lying on this base,
and hence a right triangle can be formed with the lateral edge. The slant
height of a regular pyramid is the perpendicular distance from any side of
the base to the pyramidβs apex.
- The base radius , vertical height
, and slant height
of a cone form a right triangle and are
hence related by the Pythagorean theorem as follows:
