Introduction to Cylinders

Introduction

Some curved surfaces may be defined as generated by straight lines which are thought of as moving and changing their direction continuously. Suppose that the line $$AB$$ cuts a fixed curve $$BC$$ not in the same plane with a straight line.

If $$AB$$ is allowed to move so that it always remains parallel to its first position and always intersects the fixed curve $$BC$$, it will generate a curved surface called a cylindrical surface.

 

Cylinder

A cylinder is a solid figure generated by a straight line moving to its original position, while its end describes a closed figure in a plane. It is thus a limiting case of a prism whose ends would be circles, ellipses and parabolas, etc.

If the generated line is perpendicular to the base, then the cylinder is known as a right cylinder, otherwise oblique.