Volume of a Spherical Cap Formula

A spherical cap is a portion of a sphere obtained when the sphere is cut by a plane. For a sphere, if the
following are given: height h of the spherical cap, radius a of the base circle of the cap, and radius R of the
sphere (from which the cap was removed), then its volume can be given by:
Volume of a spherical cap in terms of h and R = (1/3)πh 2(3R - h)

By using Pythagoras theorem, (R - h)2 + a2 = R2

Therefore, volume can be rewritten as, Volume of a spherical cap in terms of h and a = (1/6)πh(3a 2 + h2)

For a spherical cap having a height equal to the radius, h = R, then it is a hemisphere.

Note: The range of values for the height is 0 ≤ h ≤ 2R and range of values for the radius of the cap is 0 ≤
a ≤ R.

How to Find the Volume of a Spherical Cap?

As we learned in the previous section, the volume of the spherical cap is (1/3)πh 2(3R - h) or (1/6)πh(3a2 +
h2). Thus, we follow the steps shown below to find the volume of the spherical cap.

 Step 1: Identify the radius of the sphere from which the spherical cap was taken from and name this
radius as R.
 Step 2: Identify the radius of the spherical cap and name it as a or the height of the spherical and
name it as h.
 Step 3: You can use the relation (R - h)2 + a2 = R2 if any two of the variables are given and the third
is unknown.
 Step 4: Find the volume of the spherical cap using the formula, V = (1/3)πh 2(3R - h) or V =
(1/6)πh(3a2 + h2).
 Step 5: Represent the final answer in cubic units.