In the formula V = 1/3Bh, what does 'B' represent?

In the formula V = 1/3Bh, 'B' represents the base area of the shape in question, typically a cone or pyramid. The formula itself is used to calculate the volume of these three-dimensional figures.

In this context, 'B' refers specifically to the area of the base shape from which the volume is derived. For a cone, this would be the area of the circular base, calculated using the formula ( \pi r^2 ), where r is the radius. For a pyramid, 'B' would correspond to the area of the polygonal base—depending on the type of pyramid, this could be calculated using various area formulas (e.g., for a square, it’s ( s^2 ), where s is the length of a side).

The volume formula demonstrates that the overall volume is directly related to the area of the base and the height of the figure. By taking one-third of the product of the base area and the height, it reflects how the volume scales with these dimensions in a conical or pyramidal shape.