Volume and surface area
Volume measures the space inside a solid and uses cubic units. Surface area measures the total area of its outside faces and uses square units.
What is lateral surface area?
Lateral area includes the side surfaces but excludes the base or bases. For a sphere, every part of the surface is curved, so lateral and total surface area are the same.
Measurement assumptions
Cylinders and cones are right circular solids, the pyramid has a square base and apex above its centre, and the triangular prism uses a right-triangle end.