Surface area measures the total area that the surface of a three-dimensional object occupies. For a sphere, the surface area is exactly four times the area of its largest cross-section (the 'great circle').
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Pro Tips
Surface area scales with the square of the radius.
If you double the radius, the surface area increases by a factor of 4.
The volume is (4/3)πr³, which scales with the cube of the radius.
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Fun Facts
"The sphere has the smallest surface area of all surfaces that enclose a given volume."
"Archimedes discovered that the surface area of a sphere is the same as the lateral surface area of a cylinder that just fits around it."
"Bubbles are spherical because of surface tension, which tries to minimize surface area."
