Calculate the Volume of a Rectangular Prism
Calculating the volume of a rectangular prism is easy once you know its width, length, and height. Read this article to learn how.
10 Second Summary
1. Find the length, width, and height of the rectangular prism.
2. Multiply the length, width, and height.
3. Write the answer in cubic units. For example: 60 inches3.
Steps
- Find the length of the rectangular prism. The length is the longest side of the flat surface of the rectangle on the top or bottom of the rectangular prism.
- Ex: Length = 5 in.
- Find the width of the rectangular prism. The width is the shorter side of the flat surface of the rectangle on the top or bottom of the rectangular prism.
- Ex: Width = 4 in.
- Find the height of the rectangular prism. The height is the part of the rectangular prism that rises up. Imagine that the height is what stretches up a flat rectangle until it becomes a three-dimensional shape.
- Ex: Height = 3 in.
- Multiply the length, the width, and the height. You can multiply them in any order to get the same different result. The formula for finding the volume of a rectangular prism is the following: Volume = Length * Height * Width, or V = L * H * W.
- Ex: V = 5 in. * 4 in. * 3 in. = 60 in.
- State your answer in cubic units. Since you're calculating volume, you're working in a three-dimensional space. Just take your answer and state it in cubic units. Whether you're working in feet, inches, or centimeters, you should state your answer in cubic units.
- 60 will become 60 in3.
