What is the formula for finding the surface area of an inclined cone?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on finding the formula for the surface area of an inclined cone, specifically addressing how to calculate this area when the cone's apex does not align perpendicularly with the base plane. Participants explore various mathematical approaches and parametrizations related to this problem.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that the surface area of a right cone is given by the formula pi*radius*sqrt(height^2+radius^2) and questions how this applies to an inclined cone.
  • Another participant proposes that opening up a right cone results in a shape resembling a circle with a notch, leading to uncertainty about how to compute the area of the inclined cone without a parametrization of the resulting ellipse.
  • A different viewpoint introduces the idea that the surface area of the inclined cone could be the average of the surface areas of two right cones, defined by their respective slant heights.
  • One participant provides a parametrization of the cone's surface, detailing the coordinates of the apex and the mathematical expressions for the tangent vectors, ultimately leading to a double integral for calculating the area.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on how to approach the calculation of the surface area of an inclined cone, with no consensus reached on a single method or formula. Multiple competing ideas and models are presented throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes various assumptions about the geometry of the cone and the definitions of slant height, which may affect the proposed methods for calculating the surface area. Some mathematical steps remain unresolved, particularly regarding the integration process in the parametrization approach.

Aphex_Twin
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The area (not including the base) of a right cone is pi*radius*sqrt(height^2+radius^2).

What is the area of an inclined cone? (Where the segment joining the tip and the center of the base circle is not perpendicular to the base plane).

So what is the area of this, considering we know the radius, height and inclination?
 

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well if you open up a right cone, you just get a circle with a notch out of it, and that is how you compute the area. so your examp[les aeems to yield an ellipse with a notch out of it, but the notch does not cut to the center nor any simple spot inside the elipse. so i do noit see immediately how to do it unless i have a parametrization of the ellipse.
 
The surface area you desire will be the average of the surface areas for two right cones, one having a slant height equal to the shortest distance from the apex to the base (along the surface) and the other having a slant height equal to the greatest distance from the apex to the base (along the surface).
 
Let your base be in the xy-plane with centre at the origin, and let the coordinates of your apex be:
[tex](a_{x},a_{y},a_{z})[/tex]
Then, the surface of the cone is parametrized by:
[tex]\vec{S}(z,\theta)=R(1-\frac{z}{a_{z}})((\cos\theta-\frac{a_{x}}{R})\vec{i}+(\sin\theta-\frac{a_{y}}{R})\vec{j})+(a_{x}\vec{i}+a_{y}\vec{j}+z\vec{k}), 0\leq\theta\leq2\pi,0\leq{z}\leq{a}_{z}[/tex]

Hence, the tangent vectors are:
[tex]\frac{\partial\vec{S}}{\partial\theta}=R(1-\frac{z}{a_{z}})(-\sin\theta\vec{i}+\cos\theta\vec{j})[/tex]
[tex]\frac{\partial\vec{S}}{\partial{z}}=-\frac{R}{a_{z}}((\cos\theta-\frac{a_{x}}{R})\vec{i}+(\sin\theta-\frac{a_{y}}{R})\vec{j})+\vec{k}[/tex]
The area is then given by:
[tex]A=\int_{0}^{2\pi}\int_{0}^{a_{z}}||\frac{\partial\vec{S}}{\partial\theta}\times\frac{\partial\vec{S}}{\partial{z}}||dzd\theta[/tex]
 

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