Properties of Spheres
Rule

Surface Area of a Sphere

The surface area of a sphere with radius is four times pi multiplied by the radius squared.
Surface area of a Sphere

Proof

Informal Justification

To find the surface area of a sphere, this informal justification will use the areas and volumes of known figures. It includes approximating the ratio between a sphere's surface area and its volume. In considering a known figure, suppose that a sphere is filled with congruent pyramids. The area of the base of each pyramid is

Pyramid inside the sphere
The formula to find the volume of a pyramid uses the height and the area of its base. Here, since the base of the pyramid lies on the surface of the sphere, the height of the pyramid is equal to the radius of the sphere.
The ratio of the area of the base of the pyramid to its volume can be obtained by dividing by the formula for the volume.
Evaluate
This ratio is equal to the ratio of the areas of the bases of congruent pyramids to their volumes.
Evaluate
Since these pyramids fill the entire sphere, the sum of all the pyramid's base areas equals the surface area of the sphere. Additionally, the sum of the volumes of all the pyramids approximately equals the volume of the sphere.
Considering these relationships, the ratio of the surface area of the sphere to its volume is the same as the ratio of the areas of the bases of the pyramids to their volumes.
Since the formula for the volume of a sphere is known, it can be substituted in this ratio to find the formula for the surface area of the sphere.
Evaluate
As stated previously, this is an informal justification for this formula and not a formal proof.
Exercises