Table of Contents
What is a Cylinder?
Before understanding the concept of a Right Circular Cylinder, we must first understand what a Cylinder is. To understand the meaning of a Cylinder lets us take the following examples.
Example 1: Let us take a piece of paper of rectangular shape and roll it as shown in the figure below.
The shape obtained after rolling the paper is called a Cylinder.
Example 2: Again, let us take some pieces of circular sheets of equal size as shown in the figure below. Now, let’s stack the circular sheets vertically one above the another as shown below.
The shape formed by stacking the Circular Sheets is called a Cylinder. Since the Cylinder is composed of Circular Sheets, it can be called Circular Cylinder.
The top and the bottom faces of a cylinder is called the Base.
The line that connects the top and the bottom faces of a cylinder is called the edge of the cylinder. It is to be noted that for a cylinder the edges are always parallel to each other.
Axis of a Cylinder
From the above two examples, it is clear that a Circular Cylinder is a three-dimensional object that is composed of numerous circles of equal radius. Now, if we connect the centre of all these circles then it will form a straight line as shown in the figure below.
The straight lines formed as shown in the above figure are called the Axis of a Circular Cylinder. Therefore, the Axis of a Circular Cylinder may be defined as the straight line that connects the centre of all the circles by which a Circular Cylinder is formed.
Definition of Right Circular Cylinder
The Right Circular Cylinder can be defined as a three-dimensional shape that is formed by stacking various circular sheets vertically in such a way that the axis of the cylinder is perpendicular to the horizontal axis.
To understand the what is Right Circular Cylinder let us take an example.
Let’s take some another circular sheets and stack them vertically as shown in the figure below.
From the above figure, it is clear that the axis of the Circular Cylinder makes an angle of 90^0 with the horizontal axis. Therefore, this type of cylinder is called Right Circular Cylinder.
Right Circular Cylinder Shape
We have learnt that the Right Circular Cylinder is a three-dimensional shape. The shape of a Right Circular Cylinder may be solid or hollow. A Right Circular Cylinder has two circular ends, one at the top and one at the bottom. If these two circular ends of the cylinder are not present, then the cylinder is called Open Cylinder.
Height of Right Circular Cylinder
The height of Right Circular Cylinder is simply the distance between the top and the bottom circular ends. The Height of Right Circular Cylinder is denoted by the letter h as shown in the figure below:
Radius of Right Circular Cylinder
Since a Right Circular Cylinder is a circular three-dimensional shape, the radius of a Right Circular Cylinder is the same from the top to the bottom. The Radius of a Right Circular Cylinder is denoted by the letter r as shown in the figure below.
Properties of Right Circular Cylinder
The Properties of Right Circular Cylinder are given below:
- The line joining the two bases (top and the bottom) is called the axis of the Right Circular Cylinder.
- If a Right Circular Cylinder is cut at its surface parallel to the axis, then a Rectangle will be obtained.
- The radius of the two bases (top and the bottom) are equal.
- The axis of a Right Circular Cylinder is always perpendicular to the Horizontal Axis.
Right Circular Cylinder Formula
The various formula of Right Circular Cylinder is tabulated below:
| Serial No | Description | Formula |
| 1 | Curved Surface Area of Right Circular Cylinder | 2\pi r h |
| 2 | Total Surface Area of Right Circular Cylinder | 2\pi r(r+h) |
| 3 | Volume of a Cylinder | \pi r^2 h |
Also Read
- Curved Surface Area of Right Circular Cylinder
- Total Surface Area of Right Circular Cylinder
- Volume of Cylinder
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between a right cylinder and a circular cylinder?
The main difference between a right circular cylinder and a circular cylinder is that the axis of a right circular cylinder is always perpendicular to the horizontal axis, however, the axis of a Circular Cylinder is not perpendicular to the horizontal axis.
Why is it called a right circular cylinder?
It is called a Right Circular Cylinder because the axis of the cylinder is always perpendicular to the horizontal axis.
How do you describe a cylinder?
A cylinder may be described as a three-dimensional shape in which the top and the bottom end is circular. The top and the bottom end of a cylinder is always equal to each other.
Are cylinders Hollow?
It is not necessary for a cylinder to be hollow. It may be hollow or solid.
What is edge of cylinder?
The edge of a cylinder is the line that connects the top and the bottom faces.
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