Surface Area of Pyramid
Pyramid Area
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Surface Area of a Square-Based Pyramid

A pyramid and also its net are given in the diagram below, where 'l' is the slant height and 'a' is the length of the edge of base.

Since, the base of the pyramid is square.
So, the area of base = area of square
= (length of side)² = a²
In the pyramid, the lateral surfaces are triangular.
Therefore, the area of one triangular surface = 12 × base × height
= 12 × a × l [∵ The slant height of pyramid is the vertical height of the triangle]
There are 4 triangular lateral surfaces with equal area in the pyramid.
So, the area of lateral surface area of pyramid = 4 ( 12 × a × l )
= 2al
Lateral surface area of square based pyramid (LSA) = 2 a l
Total surface area (TSA) = Area of base + Area of lateral surface
= (a² + 2al) = a(a + 2l)
Solve Questions — Pyramid Calculator
LSA = 2al  |  TSA = a(a + 2l)
l² = h² + (a/2)²  |  e² = l² + (a/2)²