Square Pyramid

Go to Surface Area or Volume.

Square Pyramid Facts

Notice these interesting things:

  • It has 5 Faces
  • The 4 Side Faces are Triangles
  • The Base is a Square
  • It has 5 Vertices (corner points)
  • It has 8 Edges

Surface Area

Pyramid Perimeter and Height

When side faces are the same:

Surface Area = [Base Area] + 1 2 × Perimeter × [Slant Length]

Example: Side faces are the same, slant length is 3, base is square with side length of 5

Surface Area = [Base Area] + ½ × Perimeter × [Slant Length]
 = [5 × 5] + ½ × (5+5+5+5) × 3
 = 25 + ½ × 20 × 3
 = 25 + 30
 = 55

When side faces are different we can calculate the area of the base and each triangular face separately and then add them up.

Volume

Volume = 1 3 × [Base Area] × Height

Example: base is square with side length of 5 , height is 6

Volume= 1 3 × [Base Area] × Height
 = 1 3 × [5 × 5] × 6
 = 1 3 × 150
 = 50

Play with it here. Note how the formula stays the same when it "leans over" (oblique):

Other Images

Great Pyramids of Egypt

square pyramid

 

1864, 1865, 1866, 1867