Cylinder (geometry)
|
Cylinder_(geometry).png
In mathematics a cylinder is a quadric, i.e. a three-dimensional surface, with the following equation in Cartesian coordinates:
- <math>\left(\frac{x}{a}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{y}{b}\right)^2 = 1<math>
This equation is for an elliptic cylinder. If a = b then the surface is a circular cylinder. The cylinder is a degenerate quadric because at least one of the coordinates (in this case z) does not appear in the equation. By some definitions the cylinder is not considered to be a quadric at all.
In common usage, a cylinder is taken to mean a finite section of a right circular cylinder with its ends closed to form two circular surfaces, as in the figure (right). If the cylinder has a radius r and length h, then its volume is given by
- <math>V = \pi r^2 h<math>
and its surface area is
- <math>A = 2 \pi r ( r + h )<math>
For a given volume, the cylinder with the smallest surface area has h = 2r. For a given surface area, the cylinder with the largest volume has h = 2r.
There are other more unusual types of cylinders. These are the imaginary elliptic cylinders:
- <math>\left(\frac{x}{a}\right)^2 + \left(\frac{y}{b}\right)^2 = -1<math>
the hyperbolic cylinder:
- <math>\left(\frac{x}{a}\right)^2 - \left(\frac{y}{b}\right)^2 = 1<math>
and the parabolic cylinder:
- <math>x^2 + 2y = 0<math>
Template:Commonsca:Cilindre de:Zylinder (Geometrie) eo:Cilindro fr:Cylindre io:Cilindro is:Sívalningur ja:円柱 (数学) nl:Cilinder pl:Walec fi:Lieriö sv:Cylinder