How to Calculate the Volume of Air in a Cylinder

The volume of a cylinder is the product of its base with its height.

The volume of air, sand or any material that completely fills any container is simply the volume of that container. The general formula for the volume of a cylinder is the product of the base and the height. Since a cylinder's base is a circle, the formula becomes the product of the cylinder's height with the area of the circle that makes its base. Interestingly, doubling the cylinder's diameter quadruples its capacity.

Instructions

1. Square the radius of the cylinder. If you have the diameter, divide it by 2 to get the radius first. For example, for a cylinder with a radius of 4 units, you get 16 by squaring it.

2. Multiply the previous result by pi, which is approximately 3.14. For example, 16 times 3.14 yields 50.24. This is the area of the base.

3. Multiply the previous result by the height of the cylinder. Continuing the example for a cylinder 10 units tall, the product of 10 and 50.24 yields 502.4. This is the volume of the cylinder and the air inside of it in cubed units.

References

• Renton Technical College: Cylinder Volume Lesson Plan