Cavalieri’s Principle, Volume

Guided Notes
CA Content Standards:
• G-MG.1 Use geometric shapes, their measures, and their properties to describe objects (e.g., modeling a tree trunk or a human torso
as a cylinder).
• G-MG.3 Apply geometric methods to solve design problems (e.g., designing an object or structure to satisfy physical constraints or
minimize cost; working with typographic grid systems based on ratios).
• G-GMD.3 Use volume formulas for cylinders, pyramids, cones, and spheres to solve problems.
Objectives:
• Differentiate between Cavalieri's Principle and the principles of parallel slices.
• Understand Cavalieri's Principle and how it is a generalization of the principles of parallel slices in an object.
• Justify why the volume of many objects, such as prisms and cylinders, is equal to the base area times height, by using Cavalieri's
Principle
• Evaluate if Cavalieri's Principle applies to odd and complex objects, for example, oblique cylinders and not just right cylinders.

Principle of Parallel Slices

Definition: If two planar figures of equal

________ have identical cross-
sectional ________ at each height,
then the regions of the figures have
the same ______.

Why is the The principle is true because regions

principle can be approximated by _______, or
true? slices, at each height.

Since the cross-sectional lengths are

the same at each height, then the
regions would have ________
rectangles.

Question: Predict what would happen as the figures are cut into more, thinner "slices."
How would this affect the approximation of the rectangular areas when
comparing the two shapes?
 Is the The converse of the principle of slices
contrary is ____ ______.
true?
That is, two shapes with equal _____
and equal _____ do not necessarily
have the same cross-sectional
_______.

Cavalieri’s Principle

Definition: Cavalieri's principle tells us that if two

solids have the same ______ and the
same cross-sectional ______ at every
point along that height, they have the
same _______.
Question: After watching the Khan Academy video, how does the principle of parallel slices
compare and contrast to that of Cavalieri's Principle?

Principle of Cavalieri's
Parallel Slices Principle

Formulas Draw an image of an oblique prism and We can use Cavalieri's Principle to
of Prisms a right prism and label them… show that the volume formula of any
and cylinder and prism, regardless of it
Cylinders: being ____ or _____, is the following:

Volume= base area x height

Cavalieri's Cavalieri's Principle holds true as long
Principle as the criteria of the principle is met.
on
Different So, if one object is a triangular prism
Objects: and the other is a rectangular prism,
the two objects have the ______
volume as long as the solids have the
same ______ and have the same cross-
sectional ____ at any given height.
Question Apply what you have learned about Cavalieri's Principle to evaluate if the
following two solids have equal volumes. Justify your answer

Question Synthesize what you have learned of Cavalieri's Principle and of the volume
formula to predict what the value of "x" is in the following problem. Assume the
two solids have equal volumes and equal heights. Justify your answer.
 Summary

The principle of parallel slices states that if two planar figures have equal
heights and equal cross-sectional lengths, then they have equal areas.

Cavalieri's Principle is true for any two solids as long as the criteria is met,
regardless of them being different base shapes or being oblique solids.