Geometry in the Real World

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
What is the formula for calculating the Volume of a Horizontal Cylindrical Tank?
- Shridhar Kotwal (age 29)
Sanskruti Computers, Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, India
A:
Shridhar -

The volume of a cylinder is simply the surface area of its end (a circle) multiplied by its length. This gives you 3.14*radius^2*length. Remember that if you are calculating the volume of a real tank, you need to use the interior radius and length instead of the exterior. Also, if the ends of the tank are curved instead of flat, the volume will be different. But without knowing the exact shape of the curve, its impossible to give you a precise equation.

-Tamara

(published on 10/22/2007)