A prism and pyramid have congruent triangular bases. If their heights are both 15 m, what is the volume of each shape?

(1 point)
The volume of the prism is _______ m3. 
The volume of the pyramid is _________ m3.

1 answer

To calculate the volumes of the prism and the pyramid with congruent triangular bases and the same height, you can use the following formulas:

  1. Volume of a Prism: \[ V = B \cdot h \] where \( B \) is the area of the base, and \( h \) is the height.

  2. Volume of a Pyramid: \[ V = \frac{1}{3} B \cdot h \] where \( B \) is again the area of the base, and \( h \) is the height.

Since the heights of both shapes are the same (15 m), we need to find the area of the triangular base.

Let \( B \) be the area of the triangular base (we’ll need to calculate that or assume a value).

  • For the prism: \[ V_{\text{prism}} = B \cdot 15 \]

  • For the pyramid: \[ V_{\text{pyramid}} = \frac{1}{3} B \cdot 15 \]

Now we can compare the two volumes:

  • The volume of the prism is \( 15B \) m³.
  • The volume of the pyramid is \( 5B \) m³.

Now, if we had a specific value for \( B \) (the area of the triangular base), we could substitute it in and get numeric volumes. However, we only need to provide the formulas in terms of \( B \).

Therefore, assuming we don't have the specific area of the base, we can summarize:

The volume of the prism is \( 15B \) m³.
The volume of the pyramid is \( 5B \) m³.