How to Calculate Cylindrical Volume

In geometry, a cylinder is an object defined by two circles as the top and bottom bases. The cylinder length or height corresponds to the top-to-bottom distance. To calculate the volume of a cylinder, you need to multiply the length of the cylinder by the area of the circle base. You may also use this formula to calculate the volume of many objects of a cylindrical shape; for example, a pipe or even a round swimming pool.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. Measure the diameter of the cylinder.

2. Divide the cylinder diameter by two to calculate the radius. For instance, if the diameter is 15.6 inches, then the cylinder radius is 15.6 / 2 = 7.8 inches.

3. Raise the radius to the second power, and then multiply by the mathematical constant pi (3.142) to calculate the area of the cylinder base. In our example, the area will be (7.8^2) x 3.142 = 191.159 square inches.

4. Measure the cylinder length. For example, the cylinder length is 20 inches.

5. Multiply the base area of the cylinder by its length to calculate the volume. In the example, the volume is 191.159 square inches x 20 inches = 3823.18 cubic inches.

References

• Learningwave Online/HRM Video: Volume of a Cylinder