11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Introduction to Geometry (2689)

Achilleas Sinefakopoulos

Friday
Apr 30, 2021 - Oct 8, 2021
7:30 - 9:00 PM ET (4:30 - 6:00 PM PT)

Overview
Week 17 (Aug 20) Class Transcript - 3D Geometry Part 1
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Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:29:20
Hi, everyone!

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:29:38
Hi!

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi!

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hello

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi

dan09
2021-08-20 19:29:38
Hi!

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi!

Colorcrazy
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hello!

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hello class

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hello\

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:29:38
Hello!

SpencerSun
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hey

Teediv
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi

TThB0501
2021-08-20 19:29:38
hi!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:29:40
Introduction to Geometry

Week 17: 3D Geometry Part 1

https://artofproblemsolving.com/class/2689-intro-geometry/transcript/40745 1/59
11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:29:43
So far, our discussion of geometry has only dealt with two-dimensional figures; today, we will take a look at three-dimensional
geometry.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:29:51
We will cover just the basics today, introducing figures and formulas you might already be familiar with. Next class, we'll mix in
some harder 3D problems.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:29:59
First, I want to say that three dimensions might be hard to visualize, so make sure to ask lots of questions about the diagrams we
use!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:30:07
Just as we had polygons in two dimensions that were made up of line segments, we have polyhedra in three dimensions that are
composed of polygons that have been glued together along shared edges. To be more precise, polyhedra have vertices, which are
points; edges, which are line segments; faces, which are polygons, and an interior region. To get a better feel for these terms, let's
look at some examples of polyhedra.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:30:28
PRISMS

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:30:34
Perhaps the simplest three-dimensional figure is the rectangular prism, which you can think of as a box. In the diagram below we
have a right rectangular prism with vertices A, B, C, D, E, F , G, and H .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:30:45

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:30:52
In full generality, a prism is a three-dimensional solid figure with two congruent parallel faces known as bases, and with
parallelograms as the other faces. The naming convention is that if you're told your prism is a "such-and-such prism", then you're
just being told that the bases are shaped like that "such-and-such".

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:31:05
For instance, what shapes would the bases be in a rectangular prism?

pwr
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Teediv
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles!

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:31:28
Rectangles.

dan09
2021-08-20 19:31:28
Rectangles

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:31:28
rectangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:31:30
For a rectangular prism, the bases are rectangles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:31:35
Any idea what the additional word right is supposed to mean in that phrase right rectangular prism?

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:32:54
The line segments connecting the bases meet the bases at right angles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:32:58
Yeah. In this context, the word right means that all the edges connecting the top and the bottom are perpendicular to the bases. So
∠CGF , for instance, is 90 degrees.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:33:07
A prism is said to be regular if its bases are regular polygons. Is our example right rectangular prism above a regular prism?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:33:17
(In other words, are the bases of our right rectangular prism regular quadrilaterals, aka squares?)

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

dan09
2021-08-20 19:33:36
No

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 19:33:36
No

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:33:36
No!!

Teediv
2021-08-20 19:33:36

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
nope

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:33:36
no

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:33:38
This one isn't regular, since its bases aren't square.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:33:40
Some of the edges are dotted in the diagram, namely AE, F E, and H E. This indicates that these edges are "hidden", meaning
that if the prism were built solid in 3D these are the edges that would be in the 'back' and which you could not see directly when
face F BCG is directly in front of you.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:33:54
Which edges are dotted is not particularly important, except for helping you imagine it. When you see this picture, it should pop out
of the page for you (in your mind's eye), with C in front and E behind, for example. Only two of the six faces look like rectangles in
the drawing, namely the front (BCGF ) and the back (ADH E ), but all six faces are in fact meant to be rectangles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:34:11
A rectangular prism has three dimensions we call length, width, and height. The numbers in the diagram indicate that the prism
has length 5, width 3, and height 2. Of course, we would have the same prism if we called 3 the length, 5 the width, and 2 the
height.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:34:27
The rectangular prism is an example of a kind of prism called a parallelepiped. A parallelepiped is a prism in which the base, in
addition to the sides, is a parallelogram.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:34:35
The opposite faces in a parallelepiped are parallel and congruent. Formulas for general parallelepipeds are difficult to derive
without using trigonometry or vectors, so we will concentrate mainly on rectangular prisms in this course.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:34:55
We introduce the concept of surface area of a prism as the total area of all the faces. We can calculate this by using our
understanding of area in two dimensions, as we developed in previous weeks.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:35:18
What is the surface area of our right rectangular prism?

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

pwr
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62.

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

tkubota
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

SpencerSun
2021-08-20 19:35:55
62

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:35:57
The top and bottom each have area 5 ⋅ 3 = 15.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:01
The front and back each have area 5 ⋅ 2 = 10.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:02
The left and right sides each have area 2 ⋅ 3 = 6.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:08
When we add these together, we get 15 + 15 + 10 + 10 + 6 + 6 = 62 for the surface area.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:20
Since there are no units given in the picture, you can write 62 units2 to indicate that surface area is measured in square units.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:28
As we start to think about prisms in general, it will be sometimes be useful to distinguish the bases from the other faces. We
define the lateral surface area as the area of the faces that aren't bases.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:40
So the lateral surface area is the total surface area minus the area of the base(s).

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:47
What is the lateral surface area of the prism we have been working with?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:36:51
(Consider the top and bottom rectangles as the bases of this prism.)

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units ^ 2

hchhaya
2021-08-20 19:37:42
62 - 30 = 32 squareunits

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units^2

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units2 .

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units^2

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units^2

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:37:42
32 units squared

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:37:47
Adding the areas of each lateral face, we have 5 ⋅ 2 + 3 ⋅ 2 + 5 ⋅ 2 + 3 ⋅ 2, which becomes
What do the numbers 16 and 2 represent in the way I calculated this?
2
(5 + 3 + 5 + 3) ⋅ 2 = 16 ⋅ 2 = 32 units .

ChippyChipmunk
2021-08-20 19:38:37
16 is the perimeter of the base and 2 is the height

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:38:39
2 is the height of the prism, and 16 is the perimeter of the base, since it came from adding up the base lengths of all the lateral

faces, which are the side lengths of the base. So for a right rectangular prism (and indeed for any right prism), the lateral surface
area is the height times the perimeter of the base.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:38:54
Let's talk now about volume, which is the measure of how much space is contained in the interior of a figure. Just as we discussed
area as the number of 1 × 1 regions that could fit into a two-dimensional figure, volume will be the number of 1 × 1 × 1 regions
that can fit into a three-dimensional figure. In the next diagram we see one of these 1 × 1 × 1 regions and we can begin to
consider how many of them might fit into our right rectangular prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:05

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:06
How many of these little 1 × 1 × 1 cubes can we fit in the 5 by 3 by 2 prism?

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

GarudS
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

pnacham
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30.

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

cwc28
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:39:36
30

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:39
We can fit three cubes along the width of the prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:42

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:45
We can fit five of these groups of three across the base of the prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:46

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:51
And we can stack two layers of these inside the prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:39:52

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:02
So, our volume is 3 ⋅ 5 ⋅ 2 = 30. In general, the volume of a right rectangular prism is length times width times height.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:16
We can also express the volume as the area of the base (in this case 3 ⋅ 5) times the height (in this case 2).

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:26
Here's another question we can ask:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:28
What is the length of the longest diagonal that can be drawn in the rectangular prism?

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:29

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:40:52
We must identify a segment that is the longest diagonal.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:41:12
First, how many such longest diagonals are there in the above prism?

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4.

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Bluepantzola1
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Teediv
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4.

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

dan09
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

JC0001
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

GarudS
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:41:40
4

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:41:40
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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
4

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:41:51
Using the given point names, which segments are the longest?

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:42:51
CE, AG, DF, and BH

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:42:51
DF, AG, CE, BH

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:42:51
CE, AG, DF , BH

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG, FD, CE, HB

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG,DF,CE,BH

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:42:51
segments AG, BH, CE and DF

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:42:51
segments FD, BH, AG, and EC

GarudS
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG, BH , DF , CE

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:42:51
CE, AG, DF , and BH

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:42:51
FD,AG,BH, CE

dan09
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG, CE , F D, BH

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG, CE, FD, BH

pwr
2021-08-20 19:42:51
FD, AG, BH, CE

JC0001
2021-08-20 19:42:51
AG, CE, DF, BH

pnacham
2021-08-20 19:42:51
BH, DF, GA, FE

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:42:51
¯
¯¯¯
¯¯¯
¯¯ ¯¯
¯¯¯
¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯ ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The longest segments are DF , BH , AG, CE .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:43:06
There are actually four diagonals that are equally long (and longer than any others). These are segments AG, BH , CE, and DF .
We will focus on diagonal AG :

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:43:10

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

pnacham
2021-08-20 19:43:24
the space diagonal

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:43:24
a space diagonal

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:43:27
This is known as a space diagonal of the prism, to distinguish it from the diagonals of the faces.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:43:35
What tool are we likely to use to find its length?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:43:58
pythagorean theorem

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:43:58
Pythagorean theorem

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:43:58
The Pythagorean Theorem.

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:43:58
The Pythagorean Theorem

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:44:00
With all those rectangles, we have lots of right angles, so we're probably going to use the Pythagorean Theorem.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:44:19
There are a few different ways we can do it. Let's create right triangles by drawing in segment AC.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:44:29

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:44:51
△ACG is a right triangle, and we know the length CG, so all we need to do is find the length of segment AC.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:44:57
Let's use the Pythagorean Theorem on triangle ACD, which is also a right triangle.

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:45:09
What do we get for AC 2 ?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:45:33
(AC 2 =?)

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2 = 34

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2=34

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:46:01
2
AC = 34

cwc28
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2=34

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2 = 34

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:46:01
.
2
AC = 34

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:46:01
2 2 2
AC = 3 + 5 = 9 + 25 = 34

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC² = 34

dan09
2021-08-20 19:46:01
2
AC = 34

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2=34

pwr
2021-08-20 19:46:01
AC^2=34

Brendangho
2021-08-20 19:46:01
2
AC = 34

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:46:11
We're given that AD = 5 and CD = 3, so AC 2 = AD
2
+ CD
2
and

2 2 2
AC = 5 + 3 = 25 + 9 = 34.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:46:43
How do we find AG? Which right triangle should we use now?

dan09
2021-08-20 19:47:08
△ACG

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:47:08
right triangle ACG

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:47:08
use right triangle ACG

pwr
2021-08-20 19:47:08
triangle ACG

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:47:08
triangle ACG

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Teediv
2021-08-20 19:47:08
we can use right triangle ACG

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:47:08
use △ACG

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:47:08
Right triangle ACG.

iejake
2021-08-20 19:47:08
triangle ACG

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:47:08
△ACG

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:47:23
Now we'll use this value for AC 2 in the Pythagorean Theorem again to help us find AG, but this time we will apply it to triangle
ACG.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:47:38
What does this give us?

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:48:22
AG^2 = AC^2 + CG^2 = 38

dan09
2021-08-20 19:48:22
2
AG = 38

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:48:22
2
AG = 38

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:48:22
AG^2=38

iejake
2021-08-20 19:48:22
AG^2=38

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:48:34
It gives us AG2 = AC
2
+ CG
2
= 34 + 4 = 38.

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG=√38

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG=sqrt(38)

joeshu60091
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG = sqrt(38)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG = √38

Sarah010
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG=sqrt(38)

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG=sqrt(38)

pwr
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG = √38

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG = √38 .

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:48:46

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
AG = sqrt(38)

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:48:46
AG = √38

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:48:48
So AG = √38.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:49:02
How could we have gotten the 38 in one step from the information we were given in the problem?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:50:31
5^2 + 3^2 + 2^2

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:50:31
2 2 2
38 = 5 + 3 + 2

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 19:50:31
5^2 + 3^2 + 2^2

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 19:50:31
5^2+3^2+2^2

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:50:31
(5^2+3^2+2^2)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:50:38
We notice that 38 which we can get from combining our two Pythagorean steps into one,
2 2 2
= 5 + 3 + 2 ,

2 2 2
AG = (AC ) + (CG )

2 2 2
= (AB + AD ) + (CG )

2 2 2
= AB + AD + CG .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:51:21
What does this tell us in general about the length of the largest diagonal d in a right rectangular prism in which l, w, and h are the
length, width, and height, respectively?

apple.xy
2021-08-20 19:52:02
d^2 =l^2+w^2+h^2

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:52:02
d^2=l^2+w^2+h^2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:52:05
Let l, w, and h be the length, width, and height, respectively. Let d be the space diagonal. Then we have:

2 2 2 2
d = l + w + h .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:52:31
But since you like square roots so much, and d > 0 we could have said that

dan09
2021-08-20 19:52:40
d = √l + w + h
2 2 2

hchhaya
2021-08-20 19:52:40
d = sqrt(l^2 + w^2+ h^2)

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:52:40
d = sqrt(l^2+h^2+w^2)

superhero2020
2021-08-20 19:52:40

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

d = √l + w + h
2 2 2

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:52:40
2 2
d = √l + w + h
2
.

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 19:52:40
d = sqrt(l^2+w^2+h^2)

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:52:40
d = √l + w + h
2 2 2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:53:02

2 2 2
d = √l + w + h .

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:53:27
Did I miss something? Why are we keeping our answer squared?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:54:07
We kept AC 2 because we were expecting to use it again in the evaluation of AG2 , as we did.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:54:59
There was no good reason to go back and forth between √34 and 34.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:55:34
Also, keep in mind that the usual statement of the Pythagorean theorem has to do with squares, not square roots.

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:55:42
What about d?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:55:52
We can see how it looks like a generalization of Pythagorean Theorem.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:56:29
That is,

2 2 2 2
d = l + w + h

resembles the Pythagorean theorem, where we prefer squares.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:56:47
This result is a three-dimensional generalization of the Pythagorean Theorem. In fact, if we plug h = 0 into this formula, it just
turns into the Pythagorean Theorem (AG2 = d 2 = ℓ2 + w2 ) and the box loses all its height and becomes a rectangle!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:07
Let's see another quick question on this:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:08
A rectangular box has edges of length 9 cm, 12 cm, and 20 cm. How long is the longest diagonal of the box?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:10

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:15
Let's try to find AH . What do you get?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:22
(use units in the end)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:57:38
(AH =?)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:58:21
AH=25 cm

pwr
2021-08-20 19:58:21
AH=25 cm

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:58:21
AH = 25 cm

hchhaya
2021-08-20 19:58:21
AH = 25 cm

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:58:21
AH=25 cm

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:58:24
From our formula above, we get

2 2 2 2 2 2 2
AH = AB + BC + CH = 20 + 9 + 12 = 625.

Therefore, AH = 25 cm.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:58:32
(we were given the units to be cm)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:58:58
These box problems suggest an important idea in 3D geometry: Try to simplify a 3D geometry problem by slicing through your
picture in different ways and looking at only two dimensions at a time.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:59:15
Now what's the name for a right rectangular prism whose edges all have the same length?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 19:59:40
cube

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 19:59:40
cube!

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 19:59:40
cube!

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 19:59:40

https://artofproblemsolving.com/class/2689-intro-geometry/transcript/40745 15/59
11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
A cube!

pwr
2021-08-20 19:59:40
a cube

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 19:59:40
Cube!!!

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 19:59:40
cube

cwc28
2021-08-20 19:59:40
a cube

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 19:59:40
A cube.

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 19:59:40
a cube

grayspider
2021-08-20 19:59:40
A cube

iejake
2021-08-20 19:59:40
cube

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:59:42
A right rectangular prism where all edges are the same length is called a cube. We'll start our discussion of cubes with a problem.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:59:46
The volume of a cube is numerically equal to its surface area. What is the length of the side of the cube?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 19:59:52
For this problem we will need both the volume and the surface area of a cube. If the cube has side length s, what is its volume?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:00:16
3
s

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:00:16
3
s

Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:00:16
3
s

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

arw
2021-08-20 20:00:16

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
3
s

pwr
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:00:16
s^3

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:00:16
3
s

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:00:19
The volume of a right rectangular prism is l ⋅ w ⋅ h, which for a cube becomes s ⋅ s ⋅ s (Ever wonder why raising something
3
= s .

to the third power was called cubing it?)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:00:25
What about its surface area?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:00:52
6s^2

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:00:52
6s^2

Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:00:52
6s^2

iejake
2021-08-20 20:00:52
6s^2

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:00:52
2
6s

dan09
2021-08-20 20:00:52
2
6s

Yashvini
2021-08-20 20:00:52
6s^2

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:00:52
2
6s

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:00:52
2
6s

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:00:52
.
2
6s

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:00:52
2
6s

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:00:54
A cube has six identical square faces, and each one has area s2 . So the cube has surface area 6s2 .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:01:06
We are told that the volume and surface area are equal, so we just set the two formulas equal.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:01:10
V = s = 6s = SA. What does this tell us about s?
3 2

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6

iejake
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

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pwr
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Bluepantzola1
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s is 6

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6.

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6

dan09
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Yashvini
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s = 6

Teediv
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

ReaderB
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:01:50
s=6.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:01:54
Clearly we don't want s = 0, so we must have s = 6. By the way, in case you were concerned about the fundamental discrepancy
of the units between volume (cubed units) and area (squared units), that's why the word "numerically" was included. If we include
units in the computation, there is no way to compare volume with area.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:02:08
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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
Here is another quick question about the same cube we just worked with:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:02:11
What is the area of triangle ACI ?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:02:12

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:02:24
Any ideas?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:03:16
Do you notice anything about triangle ACI ?

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:03:43
it is equilateral

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:03:43
it is an equilateral triangle

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:03:43
it’s equilateral!

tkubota
2021-08-20 20:03:43
It's equilateral

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:03:43
triangle ACI is an equilateral triangle

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:03:43
it is equilateral

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:03:43
It is an equilateral triangle.

Yashvini
2021-08-20 20:03:43
it is equilateral

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:03:53
△ACI is an equilateral triangle. Why?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:04:21
its three sides are all face diagonals, and since this is a cube, the face diagonals are equal

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:04:25
Indeed, the sides of ACI are diagonals of the faces, which are congruent squares. Therefore, the sides of ACI all have the same
length.

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:04:33
What is this side length?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:05:05
6√ 2

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:05:05
6sqrt(2)

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:05:05
6sqrt2

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:05:05
6√ 2 .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:05:07
It is 6√2 (think 45 – 45 – 90 triangles on the faces of the cube to see this!).

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:05:10
I'll avoid using the letter s for the triangle side length because we've already used s for the cube's side length.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:05:14
So, what's [ACI ]?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18√3

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18sqrt(13)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:06:04
[ACI ] = 18√3

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18sqrt(3)

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:06:04
[ACI] = 18sqrt(3)

iejake
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18sqrt3

Yashvini
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18sqrt3

pwr
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18*sqrt(3)

tkubota
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18√3

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18sqrt(3)

iejake
2021-08-20 20:06:04
area of ACI is 18sqrt3

dan09
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18√3

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:06:04
18√3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:06:08

https://artofproblemsolving.com/class/2689-intro-geometry/transcript/40745 20/59
11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
The formula for the area of an equilateral triangle gets us to the answer quickly:

2
side ⋅ √3
Area of an equilateral triangle =
4
2
(6√2) ⋅ √3
=
4

72√3
=
4

= 18√3.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:06:15
A generalization of this area problem, where the triangle is not necessarily equilateral, is this week's message board problem. Have
fun solving it after class!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:06:28
Here's another quick problem:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:07:05
What is the length d of the longest diagonal in a cube of side length s?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:07:26
d = sqrt(3) *ｓ

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:07:26
d = s√ 3

dan09
2021-08-20 20:07:26
d = s√ 3

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:07:26
d = s√ 3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:07:28
From the earlier formula for a diagonal of a right rectangular prism, we have d 2 so d
2 2 2 2
= s + s + s = 3s , = s√3.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:07:35
Now let's see some other types of prisms.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:07:37

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:07:47
What might we call this? (The bases are perpendicular to the lateral faces here.)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:08:25
(make sure you use the statement in the parentheses above)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:08:53
right pentagonal prism

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:08:53
right pentagonal prism

pwr
2021-08-20 20:08:53
right pentagonal prism

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:08:53
A right pentagonal prism

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:08:53
a right pentagonal prism

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:08:57
This is a right pentagonal prism, which means the lateral edges are perpendicular to the bases, and the bases are pentagons.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:09:06
How many vertices does it have?

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10 vertices

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10 vertices

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10vertices
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Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

dan09
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:09:25
10.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:09:28
It has v = 10 vertices, 5 on top and 5 on the bottom. Here we are letting v represent the number of vertices in the prism. How
many edges does it have?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15

dan09
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15 edges

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15 edges

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15 edges.

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:10:07
it has 15 edges

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15.

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15 edges

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15

Teediv
2021-08-20 20:10:07
15

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:10:09
There are e = 15 edges, 5 on each base and 5 connecting the two bases. Here e represents the number of edges in the prism.
How many faces does it have?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7 faces

pwr
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7 faces

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

Teediv
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

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Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:10:57
it has 7 faces

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7.

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7 faces.

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:10:57
7 faces

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:10:59
Let f be the number of faces in the prism. Since it has five vertical faces and two bases, there are a total of f = 7 faces.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:11:07
Now you may be wondering why I am testing your ability to count. Notice that for our pentagonal prism, we have

v − e + f = 10 − 15 + 7 = 2.

If we had a cube instead of a pentagonal prism, then what would v, e, and f be?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:11:09

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

dan09
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

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pwr
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v=8, e=12, f=6

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, f = 6

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:12:02
v = 8, e = 12, and f = 6.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:12:04
For a cube, v = 8, e = 12, and f = 6 (count them on the diagram above!). What do we get for v − e + f ?

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2.

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

dan09
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2 again!

pwr
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 20:12:33
8 - 12 + 6 = 2

Teediv
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:12:33
v − e + f = 2...

joeshu60091
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:12:33
2

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:12:35
2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:12:37
Again, we have

v − e + f = 8 − 12 + 6 = 2.

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:12:45
why would that happen?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:12:46
The number v − e + f is called the Euler characteristic of a polyhedron. It turns out that if you compute the Euler characteristic of
almost any polyhedron you can think of, you'll get 2. In particular, the Euler characteristic of any convex polyhedron is 2.
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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:12:54
Proving this in general is quite tricky, but we can prove it at least for prisms. If you have a prism whose bases have s sides, then
how many vertices does it have?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:13:31
2s

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:13:31
2s

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:13:31
2s vertices

dan09
2021-08-20 20:13:31
2s

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:13:32
Each base has s vertices, for a total of v = 2s vertices. How many edges does it have?

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s edges.

iejake
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

dan09
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s edges

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

pwr
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:13:57
3s

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:13:58
Each base has s edges, and there are also s vertical edges connecting the two bases, for e = 3s edges total. Finally, how many
faces does it have?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s + 2 faces

iejake
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2

dan09
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s + 2

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2 faces

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2

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Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2 faces

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:14:20
s+2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:14:22
It has two bases and s lateral faces (one for each base edge), for f = s + 2 faces total.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:14:27
So we found a prism has v = 2s vertices, e = 3s edges, and f = s + 2 faces. That gives

v − e + f = 2s − 3s + (s + 2) = 2.

So the Euler characteristic is indeed 2!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:14:37
However, some weird polyhedra have different Euler characteristics! For instance, if you drew a polyhedron that was shaped
roughly like a bagel, then it turns out that its Euler characteristic would always be 0 instead of 2.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:14:45

pwr
2021-08-20 20:14:54

dan09
2021-08-20 20:14:54
Cool!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:14:56
These ideas are part of an area of geometry called topology.

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:15:07
Wow!!!!!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:15:09
OK, now let's get back to our pentagonal prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:15:10

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:15:21
Since this is a right prism, the lateral edges (segments AF , J E, etc.), are perpendicular to the bases. What shapes are the lateral
faces?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

pwr
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectanges

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:16:01
Rectangles.

dan09
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles.

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

iejake
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:16:01
rectangles

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:16:03
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rectangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:16:05
The lateral faces are all rectangles, which they will be in any right prism.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:16:10
The rectangles have a common height, which we'll call h. What is the lateral surface area of the pentagonal prism in terms of h
and the lengths AB, BC, and so on?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:17:00
h(AB + BC + CD + DE + AE)

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:17:00
h(AB+BC+CD+DE+EA)

dan09
2021-08-20 20:17:00
h(AB + BC + CD + DE + EA)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:17:02
We have

AB ⋅ h + BC ⋅ h + CD ⋅ h + DE ⋅ h + EA ⋅ h.

This simplifies to h ⋅ (AB + BC + CD + DE + EA).

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:17:08
What does AB + BC + CD + DE + EA equal?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:17:38
the perimeter of one of the bases

iejake
2021-08-20 20:17:38
the perimeter of the pentagon

dan09
2021-08-20 20:17:38
The perimeter of the base

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:17:38
the perimeter of our bases.

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:17:38
the perimeter of a base

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:17:38
the perimeter of the bases

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:17:38
perimeter of the pentagon

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:17:38
The perimeter of one of the pentagons.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:17:39
Together those lengths form the perimeter of the pentagon.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:17:44
Following similar logic, we can say that the lateral surface area of any right prism is its height times the perimeter of a base.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:17:52
This formula is independent of the polygon that makes up the base. In addition, it is not necessary for the polygon to be regular.
Let's think about how we would get the total surface area of a general prism. Besides the lateral surface area, what else do we
need?

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the perimeter of one base

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Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the area of the two bases

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the surface area of the bases

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the surface area of a base

dan09
2021-08-20 20:18:29
The area of one of the bases

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the base area

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the area of our bases.

pwr
2021-08-20 20:18:29
the area of the bases

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:18:29
The surface area of the bases.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:18:32
We have to add the areas of the two bases on to the lateral surface area. Without being told in advance what polygon makes up the
base, we can't be any more specific about the surface area than to say that

surface area = lateral area + 2(base area)

where "base area" means the area of each base. Notice that this formula works for the rectangular prism and the cube, as
expected.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:18:45
What about the volume of a right prism in general?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:19:20
(area of base)height

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:19:20
height * area of base

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:19:20
base area*height

dan09
2021-08-20 20:19:20
The area of one base times the height

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:19:20
area of a base * height

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:19:20
area of base times height

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:19:20
the height times the base area.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:22
Just as with the special case of the right rectangular prism, we can multiply the area of the base by the height to get the volume.

V = abase ⋅ h,

where V is volume and abase is the area of the base.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:38
Let's look at a different type of polyhedron.
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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:39
PYRAMIDS

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:41
We start with a polygon and a point that is not in the same plane as the polygon. We then connect each vertex of the polygon to
this extra point. The resulting figure is a pyramid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:48

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:19:54
The polygon we started with, BCDE above, is the base of the pyramid, and the point we connect the vertices of the base to (point
A in this case) is the apex of the pyramid. Note that all the non-base faces of a pyramid are triangles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:20:02
In this example, we have a square pyramid, since the base is a square. In general, a pyramid is called regular if its base is a regular
polygon. Typically you will be dealing with a right pyramid with a regular polygon as the base. In such a pyramid, the vertex is
directly above the center of a regular polygon. Any deviation from this constraint makes the figure much more complicated.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:20:18
The lateral surface area of a pyramid is again the sum of the areas of everything that isn't a base. Pyramids differ from prisms in
that they have only one base, and the lateral faces are not rectangles. What are the lateral faces of a right regular pyramid?

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:20:36
triangles

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:20:36
triangles

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:20:36
triangles

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:20:36
triangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:20:39
Yep, they're triangles. Can we say more about them than that?

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:21:24
isosceles triangles

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:21:24
isosceles triangles

apple.xy
2021-08-20 20:21:24

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isosceles triangles

dan09
2021-08-20 20:21:24
They are isosceles triangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:21:26
In a right regular pyramid, the lateral faces are congruent isosceles triangles. Let's try to find a formula for the lateral surface area
for the pyramid in the diagram.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:21:34
The lateral surface area is the sum of the areas of these triangles. We must be careful not to use h for the height of the triangles
though, because we'll reserve that for the height of the pyramid itself. Let's use g instead. (So g is the height of the triangle along
¯
¯¯¯
¯¯¯
¯¯
the triangle's surface, not its height as a 3-dimensional object. So for triangle DAC , the height g is the distance from DC to A.)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:21:53
We call g the slant height of the pyramid and illustrate it by a dashed line below.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:21:54

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:22:06
What's the lateral surface area of the pyramid in terms of g and the perimeter p of the base?

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:23:04
pg/2

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:23:04
gp/2

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:23:04
gp

pwr
2021-08-20 20:23:04
pg/2

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:23:04
pg

iejake
2021-08-20 20:23:04
gp/2

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:23:04
(pg)/2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:23:05

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry
g g g g
Lateral area = BC ⋅ + CD ⋅ + DE ⋅ + EB ⋅
2 2 2 2
g pg
= (BC + CD + DE + EB) ⋅ = .
2 2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:23:11
What do we need to add to get the total surface area of the pyramid?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:23:35
the area of the base

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:23:35
area of the base

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:23:35
the area of the base

dan09
2021-08-20 20:23:35
The area of the base

superhero2020
2021-08-20 20:23:35
the area of the base

iejake
2021-08-20 20:23:35
the area of the base

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:23:39
the area of the base.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:23:41
Since there is only one base,

g
Surface area = Lateral area + abase = p ⋅ + abase .
2

g
For the square pyramid with a base of side length s, we can write this as SA = 4s ⋅
2
2
+ s . (There's no need to be memorizing all
these formulas - if you know the definitions, these formulas can be derived.)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:23:52
One more vocabulary word: a pyramid with a triangle as a base is called a tetrahedron. If all the faces of a tetrahedron are
equilateral triangles (which will force the base to be equilateral as well), it is called a regular tetrahedron.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:24:06
The proof of the formula for the volume of a pyramid is well beyond the scope of this class.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:24:10
However, the formula is simple and useful. Anyone know it?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:24:58
one third the product of the height and the area of the base

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:24:58
1/3 * (area of base) * height

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:24:58
(height of pyramid*area of base)/3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:01
The volume of a pyramid is the area of the base of the pyramid times the height drawn to the base.
1

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:06
1
Or V = B ⋅ h, where we use B for the area of the base, and where h is the length of the altitude dropped from the apex to the
3
base.

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:17
1
Incidentally, it's no coincidence that the area of a triangle is ⋅ base ⋅ height while the volume of a pyramid is
2
1
⋅ base ⋅ height. The numbers 2 and 3 in the denominators secretly come from the dimensions of these shapes: triangles are 2-
3
dimensional and pyramids are 3-dimensional. If you had a 4-dimensional "hyperpyramid", its "hypervolume" would be
1
⋅ base ⋅ height ! You need calculus to really explain why this happens though.
4

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:37
Also, note that this volume formula works for all pyramids, not just right pyramids, in the same way that the triangle area formula
in 2D works for all triangles, not just isosceles triangles or right triangles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:48
Let's try a pyramid volume problem:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:51
A right square pyramid with slant height 13 has for a base a square of side length 10. Find the volume of this pyramid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:25:55

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:26:03
What do we need in order to find the volume?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:26:40
the height

pwr
2021-08-20 20:26:40
the height

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:26:40
The height.

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:26:40
height of the pyramid

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:26:40
the height

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:26:40
find the height

dan09
2021-08-20 20:26:40
The height

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iejake
2021-08-20 20:26:40
find the height of the pyramid

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:26:42
We have the dimensions of the base, so all we need is the height. How can we find this?

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:27:04
drawing a right triangle

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:27:07
How?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:27:38
draw an altitude from point A to the base

dan09
2021-08-20 20:27:38
Drop the perpendicular from A to the base

iejake
2021-08-20 20:27:41
draw a perpendicular line from point A to the base

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:27:43
Let's draw an altitude and then complete a right triangle.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:27:45

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:27:56
What is the length of the short leg of this right triangle?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

pwr
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

dan09
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5
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takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

iejake
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:28:15
5.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:28:17
The length of the short leg is half of 10, or 5. Now what is the height?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12.

Bluepantzola1
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

dan09
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

pwr
2021-08-20 20:28:43
12

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:28:45
We can get the height from the Pythagorean Theorem:

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2 2 2
5 + h = 13
2
25 + h = 169
2
h = 144

h = 12.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:28:50
Of course, you are probably familiar enough with 5 – 12 – 13 right triangles to have seen that right away. Now we can find the
volume. What is it?

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:29:18
The volume is 400

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

ReaderB
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

pwr
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400 units^3

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:29:18
400

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:29:25

2
B ⋅ h 10 ⋅ 12 3
V = = = 400 units .
3 3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:29:35
Don't forget that you want to use the area of the base, not just its side length!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:29:50
REGULAR POLYHEDRA

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:29:53
One more class of polyhedra we should discuss is the Platonic solids. A Platonic solid is a convex solid where the faces are all
congruent regular polygons and the same number of faces meet at each vertex. Sometimes we call these "regular polyhedra", but
there is a subtle mathematical distinction between these and "Platonic solids." Usually, though, when you see "regular polyhedra"
the term refers to Platonic solids.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:30:06
Let's investigate the Platonic solids.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:30:17
Let's start with the simplest one, where we have three equilateral triangles coming together at each vertex. What do we get?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:30:44
regular tetrahedron

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:30:46

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:30:49
We can do that with a triangular pyramid. A triangular pyramid where all the faces are equilateral is called a regular tetrahedron.
The word tetrahedron contains the root tetra-, which means four. This figure is named a tetrahedron because it has four faces.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:31:04
What about having three squares at each vertex?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:31:31
cube

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:31:31
cube

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:31:31
cube

tkubota
2021-08-20 20:31:31
a cube

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:31:31
a cube

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:31:31
A cube.

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:31:31
a cube

pwr
2021-08-20 20:31:31
cube

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:31:31
A cube.

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:31:31
That is a cube

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:31:33

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:31:34
That gives us a cube.
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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:31:41
Can we have three regular pentagons at each vertex?

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:32:02
yes

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:32:02
yes

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:32:02
yes

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:32:02
yes

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:32:04
Let's take a look at what happens when we arrange three pentagons in a plane:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:32:05

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:32:11
If we fold the figure to match C to D, this figure will pop into three dimensions. Then we could try to glue in another pentagon
along each outside edge of the figure, continuing to fold them together in three dimensions.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:32:33
Amazingly, if we keep adding more pentagons, the figure eventually closes back on itself perfectly once we reach twelve
pentagons. What is the resulting polyhedron called?

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:33:03
A regular dodecahedron

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:33:03
A regular dodecahedron.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:33:12
It is called a regular dodecahedron, since dodeca- means twelve.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:33:28

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:33:46
What about three regular hexagons at each vertex? Can we make a Platonic solid like that?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:34:05
no

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:34:05
no

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:34:05
no,no,no

GarudS
2021-08-20 20:34:05
no

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:34:08

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:34:11
Three hexagons fit perfectly around a vertex in the plane, so there is no room to fold them together and make a shape in three
dimensions. No regular polygon with more than six sides can make a Platonic solid either with three polygons coming together at
each vertex.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:34:23

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To be clear, this certainly isn't a rigorous proof. But hopefully it makes intuitive sense that to fold the polygons together there
would need to be some "spare space" at each vertex in the plane.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:34:32
So let's move on to Platonic solids where more than three polygons come together at a vertex. What if we have four equilateral
triangles at each vertex?

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:35:11
regular tetrahedron or octahedron

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:35:12
We can start by folding four equilateral triangles around a vertex to form a square pyramid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:35:24

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:35:27
To get a Platonic solid, though, we need every face to be a triangle, with four triangles meeting at every vertex. What can we do to
replace that square at the bottom with more triangles?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:36:12
we glue a congruent tetrahedron to it by the square side

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:36:12
you put another square pyramid on the original one and stick the squares together

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:36:12
reflect the pyramid across the base

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:36:16
We can attach a second square pyramid upside-down from the bottom:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:36:16

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11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:36:20
How do we call this?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:36:57
regular octahedron

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:36:57
regular octahedron

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:36:57
a regular octahedron

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:36:57
A regular octahedron.

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:36:57
A regular octahedron.

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:36:57
regular octahedron

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:37:07
We call this a regular octahedron, because it has eight faces. We can make it by stacking two square pyramids along their bases,
with the heights of the pyramids chosen so that the faces are all equilateral triangles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:37:54
(Knowing some greek helps: octo=8, dodeca=12, hexi=6, icosi=20 )

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:38:19
(think of octopus )

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:38:31
Can we make a Platonic solid with four squares at each vertex?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:38:32

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:38:44
nope

CalvinGarces
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

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takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

GarudS
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:38:44
No

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:38:44
nope

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:38:44
no

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:38:46
Four squares fit perfectly around a vertex, just like three hexagons did. So no three-dimensional figure can be formed with four
squares around each vertex, or with four of any regular polygon with more than four sides.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:38:50
So what about five? Can we make a Platonic solid with five triangles at each vertex?

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

GarudS
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:39:31
Yes.

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

pwr
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

SpencerSun
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:39:31
yes

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:39:37
We could start the same way as we did for the octahedron: we can fold up five triangles around a vertex to make a pentagonal
pyramid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:39:40

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:39:42

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:39:45
Then we could attach two of those pentagonal pyramids along their bases, to get a polyhedron with just triangles. However, this
won't quite give us a Platonic solid with five triangles at each vertex. Why not?

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:40:27
at the middle there would be 4 triangles at each vertex

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:40:27
some vertices would have only 4 triangles

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:40:27
at the vortexes in the middle, only 4 triangles meet

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:29
Aha, the vertices on the base of the pyramids will only have four triangles meeting at them, not five.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:33

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:39
To get five triangles meeting at every vertex, we need to add a ring of triangles pointing in alternating directions between our two
pyramids, like this:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:43

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:58
Here's another view of this polyhedron, from the top:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:40:59

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:41:28
a regular icosahedron

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:41:32
It is difficult to draw this figure, but this is a top view of a regular icosahedron, so named because it has twenty faces. You see
eleven vertices in the figure, and the twelfth one is hidden directly below the one in the center.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:41:43

This is also found in the Mathematical Association of America logo.

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:41:56
cool!

SpencerSun
2021-08-20 20:41:58
cool!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:00

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Can we make any more Platonic solids with five regular polygons at each vertex?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:42:11
no

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:42:11
no

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:42:11
No!!!

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:42:11
no

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:42:11
No

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:42:11
no

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:13
Any other polygons would have angles that are too large; even a square has 90 degree angles, and five of those would not fit within
the 360 degrees surrounding a vertex.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:18
Can we make any Platonic solids with more than five polygons at each vertex?

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:42:34
no

pwr
2021-08-20 20:42:34
no

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:42:34
nope

hchhaya
2021-08-20 20:42:34
nope

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:42:34
I don’t think so

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:36

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:38
Even six equilateral triangles would take up too much of the vertex to make a solid, so there are no Platonic solids where more
than five polygons meet at each vertex.

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:50
Platonic solids show up in contests largely as novelties, aside from problems that involve recalling some of their properties. Here
are some useful properties that they have.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:42:56
All Platonic solids can be inscribed in a sphere as well as circumscribed about a sphere.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:02
Certain pairs of Platonic solids can also be inscribed in each other. For example, consider a cube.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:03

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:08
What shape will you get if you connect all the centers of the faces of the cube?

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:43:34
a regular octahedron

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:36
You'll get something like this!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:37

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:40

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:45
Notice that the cube has six faces and eight vertices. The octahedron on the other hand has eight faces and six vertices. It turns
out that if we identify the center of each face of a cube, those six points will form the vertices of an octahedron.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:43:57
Similarly if we place a point at the center of each face of an octahedron, those eight points will form the vertices of a cube.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:44:01

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:44:07
The same happens with dodecahedra and icosahedra, in that each can be inscribed in the other. A dodecahedron has twelve faces
and twenty vertices, while an icosahedron has twenty faces and twelve vertices.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:44:21
What about the tetrahedron? What shape will you get if you connect the centers of the faces of a tetrahedron?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:44:24

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:44:55
another tetrahedron...

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:44:55
a tetrahedron

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:44:55
another tetrahedron?

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:44:55
a smaller tetrahedron

pwr
2021-08-20 20:44:55
another tetrahedron

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:44:55
another tetrahedron

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:44:55

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another tetrahedron?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:44:58

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:45:01
A tetrahedron has four faces and four vertices; the centers of the faces of a tetrahedron are the vertices of another tetrahedron.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:45:19
Let's try a problem involving a regular polyhedron.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:45:42
What is the volume of a regular octahedron with side length s?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:45:50
Hmmm, we don't know very much about octahedra. How can we use things we do know to find the volume of our octahedron?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:46:12
split in into two tetrahedrons

cwc28
2021-08-20 20:46:15
split it into two pyramids

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:46:17
An octahedron can be broken into two square pyramids, the lateral faces of each are equilateral triangles. Let's see if this will help.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:46:20

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:46:28
Here's the top half of our octahedron. What information will we need to find the volume of this figure?

ReaderB
2021-08-20 20:46:49
the base area and the height

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:46:51
The height and the base area

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:46:53
abase h
We know that the volume of a pyramid is given by V =
3
, so we need the area of the base and the height. First, what's the
area of the base?

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RollOver2020
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

iejake
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:47:16
2
s

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s
2
.

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:47:16
2
s

pwr
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s^2

Sunshine2016
2021-08-20 20:47:16
s²

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:47:20
s^2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:47:21
The base is a square of side s, so its area is s2 . The height is trickier. Any ideas for how we can find it?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:47:36
use pythagorean theorem

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:47:36
build right triangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:47:38
We'd like to use Pythagorean Theorem on a right triangle involving the height. What should the hypotenuse be?

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:48:09
An edge.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:48:11
We could use the slant height, but let's use one of the edges.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:48:13

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:48:16
Hypotenuse AB of ABC has length s. What about leg BC?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:49:01
s*sqrt(2)/2

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:49:01
s*sqrt(2)/2

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:49:01
s √2

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:49:01
s(sqrt(2))/2

takolhe12
2021-08-20 20:49:01
(s*sqrt(2))/2

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:49:01
√2
BC = s
2
.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:49:03
s √2
A diagonal of the base is s√2, and the leg is half that value, or 2
. So what's the height?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:49:13
(Remember that AB = s, since it's one of the sides of the octahedron.)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:49:40
(AC =?)

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:50:12
AC = s(sqrt(2))/2

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:50:12
AC = sqrt(2) * s/2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:50:15
Triangle ACB is a right triangle and hypotenuse AB is √2 times leg BC. Therefore, ACB is a 45-45-90 triangle by HL
√2
similarity, which tells us that AC = BC = s ⋅ .
2

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:50:21
So, what is the volume of this pyramid?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:51:27
(s^3*sqrt(2))/6

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:51:27
s^3*sqrt(2)/6

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:51:27

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sqrt(2) * s^3/6

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:51:27
s^3(sqrt(2))/6

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:51:30

3
abase ⋅ h s√ 2 1 s √2
2
V = = s ⋅ ⋅ = .
3 2 3 6

3
s √2
And the volume of the octahedron follows directly as double this value: .
3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:51:37
In the process of solving this problem, we discovered that AC = BC. That seems like quite a coincidence: A and B happen to be
exactly the same distance from C!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:51:43
Or is it a coincidence? Can anyone see a reason that it's not surprising that AC = BC?

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 20:52:09
cause it is a regular pyramid?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:11
The point C is the center of the octahedron. Since the octahedron is regular, it should be completely symmetric, so all the vertices
are the same distance from the center. In particular, A and B are the same distance from C, so AC = BC.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:19
If you think about it, that's another way of saying that the octahedron is inscribed in a sphere, one of those properties we
mentioned earlier. Since every vertex is the same distance from C , they all lie on a sphere with center C. (In fact, the calculation
we just did is essentially a proof that the octahedron is inscribed in a sphere!)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:34
When we look at just the top half of the octahedron, A and B look "different", since A is the apex of the pyramid and B is on its
base, so you might not expect AC and BC to be the same. But when we look at the whole octahedron, it looks the same from
every vertex!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:35

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:50
Here's a little harder problem.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:54
ABCD is a triangular pyramid with AB = BC = CA = 12 and AD = BD = CD = 18. Find the volume of the pyramid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:52:55

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Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:53:07
abase h
Since for a pyramid we have V =
3
, we need to find the area of a base and the height to that base. Which face should we
choose as the base, and why?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:53:38
base ABC we can find its area

TThB0501
2021-08-20 20:53:38
ABC since the legnths AD, BD, and CD are all equal

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:53:40
We choose △ABC as the base of the pyramid because it's the nicest for this problem since it is equilateral (so the pyramid is
regular with this base).

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:53:43
What is the area of △ABC?

pwr
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36*sqrt(3)

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36sqrt(3)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36√3

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:54:30
[ABC] = 36√3 .

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36sqrt(3)

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36√3

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:54:30
36sqrt(3)

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:54:34
36sqrt(3)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:54:36
Triangle ABC is an equilateral triangle with side length 12, so

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2
12 √3
[ABC] = = 36√3.
4

Now, what do we need?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:55:04
find the height

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:55:04
the height

pwr
2021-08-20 20:55:04
the height

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:55:04
The height.

grayspider
2021-08-20 20:55:04
We need the height

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 20:55:04
the height

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 20:55:04
The height

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:55:11
We need the length of the altitude from D to △ABC. So we draw the altitude:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:55:17

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:55:44
That's not too revealing. We're going to have to learn a little more about point X.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:55:55
Can we figure out anything about point X?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:57:17
it is the centroid and circumcenter of triangle ABC

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:57:17
it is the centroid of triangle ABC

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:57:17
It's the center of △ABC .

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Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:57:17
it is the circumcenter of triangle ABC

tkubota
2021-08-20 20:57:17
It's the center of the triangle ABC

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:57:42
I see many of you claiming that X is the center of the equilateral triangle ABC, or its circumcenter, or its centroid.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:57:49
You know the drill:

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:58:02
prove it!

Brendangho
2021-08-20 20:58:02
prove it

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:58:02
Prove it!

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 20:58:02
prove it

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:58:02
Prove it!

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:58:02
prove it!

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 20:58:06
prove it

Sarah010
2021-08-20 20:58:06
prove it

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:58:07
Bold claim -- prove it!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:58:08
What do we have to show in order to deduce that X is the center of ABC?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 20:58:39
AX = BX = CX

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 20:58:39
we have to show it is the same distance from A, B, and C

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 20:58:39
AX=BX=CX.

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 20:58:39
How about AX = BX = CX ?

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 20:58:39
AX=BX=CX

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:58:42
If we show that AX = BX = CX, then we know that X is the center of ABC. Why? (In other words, why can we conclude from
the fact that AX = BX = CX that X is the centroid of ABC?)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:59:33
(anyone?)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 20:59:50

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Why can we conclude from the fact that AX = BX = CX that X is the centroid of ABC?

Hridhaan
2021-08-20 21:00:19
If they are all equal, then AX is a circumradius. Since ABC is equilateral, the circumcenter is also the centroid

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:00:24
If AX = BX = CX, then we know that X is the circumcenter of ABC. In an equilateral triangle, all of the centers
(circumcenter, centroid, incenter, and orthocenter) coincide. So if we prove AX = BX = CX, we'll have proved that X is all of
these.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:00:37

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:00:39
So, what tool can we use to prove that AX = BX = CX?

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 21:00:54
congruent triangles

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:00:57
In general, if we have to prove lengths are equal, we think of congruent triangles. So, we try to show some triangles are congruent.
What do we know about DX that should help?

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 21:01:22
that it is the height

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:01:33
it intersects AX, BX, and CX at right anges

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:01:35
We know DX is an altitude, so it is perpendicular to face ABC. This means it is perpendicular to all lines in face ABC that pass
through X. So, angles ∠AXD, ∠BXD, and ∠CXD are all right angles.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:01:39
What other information do we have about the pyramid that we haven't used? (When stuck on a geometry problem, always ask
yourself what information you haven't used!)

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 21:01:57
AD=DB=DC

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:01:57
AD = BD = CD = 18

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:01:59
We haven't used the fact that AD = BD = CD. How does this help?

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shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:02:14
HL congruence for triangles AXD, BXD and CXD

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 21:02:14
we can prove congruency by HL

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 21:02:14
HL congruence.

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 21:02:16
H L congruence.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:02:19
Because AD = BD = CD, and right triangles AXD, BXD, and CXD share leg DX, we know that these three right
triangles are congruent by HL congruence. Therefore, AX = BX = CX, so we know that X is the center of triangle ABC.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:02:21
So, now what do we have to find in order to determine DX?

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 21:02:51
AX

Wuwuspring
2021-08-20 21:02:51
the length of AX, BX, or CX

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:02:54
we need AX

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:02:56
We know that DA = 18, so if we can find AX, then we can find DX by applying the Pythagorean Theorem to triangle DAX.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:03:02
How do we find AX?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:03:20
the 2:1 ratio for medians

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:03:22
Because X is the centroid of ABC, we know that AX is 2/3 of a median of ABC. We can draw this median in:

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:03:26

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:03:34
We know that AY is a median of equilateral triangle ABC. How do we find AY ?

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cwc28
2021-08-20 21:03:51
30-60-90 triangles!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:03:53
Triangle ABY is a 30 − 60 − 90 triangle (remember, ABC is equilateral).

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:04:23
AY = 6sqrt(3)

cwc28
2021-08-20 21:04:30
AY=6sqrt3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:04:34
1 2
We have BY =
2
BC = 6 and AY = BY √3 = 6√3. Therefore, AX =
3
AY = 4√3 .

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:04:37
We're almost there! What is DX?

Rinnypig
2021-08-20 21:05:29
DX = 2√69 .

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:05:29
DX = 2sqrt(69)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:05:31
From right triangle DXA, and the facts that AD = 18 and AX = 4√3, we have

2 2
DX = √AD − AX = √324 − 48 = √276 = 2√69.

So, what is the volume of ABCD?

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 21:06:35
(2√69*36√3)/3

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:06:35
72sqrt(23)

cwc28
2021-08-20 21:06:35
(2sqrt69)*(36sqrt3)*1/3

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 21:06:35
72sqrt(23)

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:06:38
The volume of ABCD is

[ABC] ⋅ DX (36√3)(2√69)
= = 72√23.
3 3

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:06:43
Important lesson: You can often approach a 3D problem by breaking it into a series of 2D problems.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:01
Time for three more problems?

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:08
(Just kidding! )

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:10
SUMMARY

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:12
Today we got started with three dimensional geometry.

https://artofproblemsolving.com/class/2689-intro-geometry/transcript/40745 58/59
11/22/21, 9:10 PM 2689 Introduction to Geometry

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:16
Our study of 3D figures included prisms, pyramids, and regular polyhedra. We found that our most useful general technique for
approaching three dimensional problems is to break the problem into a series of two-dimensional problems. This allows us to use
all our 2D tools.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:28
We'll continue next week with our study of 3D geometry. We'll be mixing in some curved surfaces, then tackling some more
challenging problems.

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:37
Make sure you spend lots of time with the problems in chapters 14 and 15. There are all sorts of 3D problems, and there's no way
we'll hit them all just in class!

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:07:46
That's it for today. Are there any questions?

shenpinyi
2021-08-20 21:08:26
no

Vitah2008
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope!

themikyway
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope

dan09
2021-08-20 21:08:26
Nope!

Sirahulania
2021-08-20 21:08:26
Nope, thank you!

AndrewZhong2012
2021-08-20 21:08:26
Nope, thanks.

RyanL2019
2021-08-20 21:08:26
Nope

grayspider
2021-08-20 21:08:26
Nope

RollOver2020
2021-08-20 21:08:26
None here!

Colorcrazy
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope!

apple.xy
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope

iejake
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope!

pwr
2021-08-20 21:08:26
nope

Achilleas
2021-08-20 21:08:27
Thank you all for staying overtime! See you next week! Until then, have a wonderful time!

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https://artofproblemsolving.com/class/2689-intro-geometry/transcript/40745 59/59