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surface area

surface area

15 3.9
The total outside area of a solid object or a specific area inside a border
  • noun
  • /ˈsɜrfɪs ˈɛriə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : área superficial
  • The surface area of the cube can be calculated by adding the areas of all six faces.
  • body surface area
  • total surface area
  • large surface area

And guess what guys, more surface area equals more cooling.

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Examples

  • So the lining of our gut is actually the same surface area as a tennis court in there.

  • Now that is a lot more surface area than the back of the phone.

  • So you keep increasing the surface area the more you break this down.

  • Place a fan on or next to a table with a large surface area.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Less surface area, less drag.

  • Notice also that a sphere has the minimum amount of surface area in terms of volume.

  • And guess what guys, more surface area equals more cooling.

  • And the way it can spread concealer over a larger surface area is really fantastic.

  • The sea has lost about one-half of its surface area and 70 percent of its volume.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Also, the advanced cell increases the electrode's surface area, which in turn increases the fuel cell's power output.

    Academic text (1994)

Synonyms

area
vssurface area
487 1.0

The amount of flat space inside a shape measured in square units

focuses on the total outer measure of a three dimensional object
footprint
vssurface area
  • Specialized
18 3.9

The space an object takes up on a surface

measures the total outer amount across all sides, not only ground coverage

How Large

expanse
46 4.6
tract
25 5.6
surface area
  • Specialized
15 3.9
area
487 1.0
patch
153 2.7

Surface Forms

surface area singular
surface areas plural

Morphology

surface + area

The meaning 'the total area of the outside surface' is directly and compositionally derived from 'surface' (outer layer) + 'area' (amount of surface within boundaries); the phrase names exactly the area of the object's surface. This noun–noun compound follows a transparent, cross‑linguistic compositional pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

The phrase surface area comes from a simple picture: surface is the 'outside' of a thing and area means how much space it takes. Imagine wrapping a box or painting a wall — the surface area is how much outside you must cover, so the phrase means the total outside area of an object.