A tetrahedron belongs to the polyhedron family. Based on the edges and angles, tetrahedrons can be regular as well as irregular. This article will precisely deal with the regular tetrahedron.
What is a Tetrahedron
The word ‘tetrahedron’ came from the Greek word ‘tetráedron’, meaning ‘triangle-based pyramid.’ ‘tetrás’ means ‘four’ and ‘hédra’ means ‘seat’.
A regular tetrahedron is a three-dimensional shape with four faces, six edges, and four vertices. All the faces are equilateral triangles. one of its faces is its base. The other three faces form the pyramid. Thus a tetrahedron is known as a triangular pyramid. It is also a platonic solid – a regular convex polyhedron.
Tetrahedron
Properties
Properties of Tetrahedron
Has 4 faces; in tetrahedron ABCD, ΔABC, ΔABD, ΔACD, and ΔBCD are the 4 faces
Has 6 edges; AB, BC, AC, CD, BD, and AD are the 6 edges
Has 4 vertices (corners); A, B, C, D are the 4 vertices
Has 4 equilateral triangles as its faces; ΔABC, ΔABD, ΔACD, and ΔBCD are the 4 equilateral triangles
All 4 vertices are equidistant from each other; AB = BC = CD = AD
Has 6 planes of symmetry
Has no parallel faces
Tetrahedron Net
A tetrahedron net is defined as a two-dimensional shape that produces a three-dimensional figure when folded in a specific manner. We can construct a net with a single sheet of paper cut as in the above figure and then fold it with adhesive to make it a tetrahedron. We call it pyramid packaging. This type of packaging is used for storing liquids such as fruit juice.
Tetrahedron Net
Formulas
Surface Area
The surface area of a tetrahedron is defined as the total region covered by all its six faces. It is expressed in square units, like sq. m, sq. cm, sq. in, sq. ft, sq. yd, etc. A regular tetrahedron can have two types of surface areas:
1.Total Surface Area of a tetrahedron is defined as the total region covered by all the faces of the shape.
2.Lateral Surface Area of a tetrahedron is defined as the surface area of its lateral or the slanted faces of a tetrahedron excluding one face which is the base.
The formulas to calculate the total surface area and lateral surface area of a tetrahedron are given below:
Surface Area of Tetrahedron
Let us solve some examples to understand the concept better.
Find the total surface area of a regular tetrahedron with a edge 5 cm.
Solution:
As we know, Total Surface Area (TSA) = √3a2, here a = 5 cm = √3 × 52 = 43.30 sq. cm
Find the lateral surface area of a regular tetrahedron with an edge 6 cm.
Solution:
As we know, Lateral Surface Area (LSA) = (3√3/4) × a2, here a = 6 cm = (3√3/4) × 62 = 46.76 sq. cm
Volume
The volume of a tetrahedron is defined as the total space occupied by it in a three-dimensional plane. It is expressed in cubic units such as cm3, m3, in3, ft3, yd3, etc.
Volume of Tetrahedron
Let us solve an example.
Find the volume of a regular tetrahedron with a edge measuring 12 cm.
Solution:
As we know, Volume (V) = a3/6√2, here a = 12 cm = 123/6√2 = 203.65 cm3
