# Thread: Surface Area and formulas

1. ## Surface Area and formulas

When dealing with Surface Areas, many teachers simply teach students to memorize a bunch of formulas. Why do you think I would encourage you to not teach students to "memorize" any of these formulas? What would be an easier way to find the surface area of any figure? Give at least 1 example of a figure and how you would find the surface area without these particular formulas.

2. Originally Posted by doodle08
When dealing with Surface Areas, many teachers simply teach students to memorize a bunch of formulas. Why do you think I would encourage you to not teach students to "memorize" any of these formulas? What would be an easier way to find the surface area of any figure? Give at least 1 example of a figure and how you would find the surface area without these particular formulas.
you have to know the basic area formulas ... rectangle, triangle, circle, etc.

how else can one find surface area without them?

for example, surface area of a cylinder ...

top and bottom, two circles ... $2\pi r^2$

side is a rectangle whose base is the circumference of the top and whose height is the height of the cylinder ... $2\pi r \cdot h$

add 'em up to find the surface area , $A = 2\pi r^2 + 2\pi rh$

now ... what is so difficult about that?