You will need
  • ruler, pencil and paper
Instruction
1
The lateral surface area of any pyramid is equal to the sum of the areas of the lateral faces.

Because all the lateral faces of a pyramid are triangles, it is necessary to find the sum of the areas of all these triangles. The area of a triangle is calculated by multiplying the length of the base of the triangle to the length of its height.
2
The base of the pyramid is a polygon. If this polygon be divided into triangles, the area of the polygon simple to compute as the sum of the squares poluchivshimsya when dividing triangles by the already known formula.
3
Finding the sum of the lateral surface area of a pyramid and the base of the pyramid, you can find the total surface area of the pyramid.
4
For calculations of area of regular pyramid using a special formula.

Example:

Before us is a pyramid. At the base is a regular n-gon with side a. The height of the side faces h (by the way, is the name apofema pyramid). The area of each lateral face is 1/2ah. The entire side surface of the pyramid has an area of n/2ha, calculated by summing the squares of the side faces. na is the perimeter of the base of the pyramid. The area of this pyramid we find: a work of apogamy of the pyramid and one half of the perimeter of its base equal to the area of lateral surface of regular pyramid.
5
With regard to the area of the entire surface, then just add to the side area of the base, according to the principle discussed above.