Cylindershaped

Cylindershaped is an adjective used to describe an object that has the form of a cylinder: a solid or hollow figure with a circular cross-section and a straight axis.

In geometry, a right circular cylinder is defined by its radius r and height h. Its volume is V = π r^2 h, and its total surface area is S = 2π r (r + h). The lateral surface area is 2π r h. If the cylinder is hollow with inner radius r_i and outer radius r_o, the hollow volume is π h (r_o^2 - r_i^2), and the corresponding surface areas depend on the inner and outer surfaces.

Cylindershaped objects can be perfect cylinders or approximations; variations include truncated cylinders, solid rods, and hollow tubes. A key descriptor is the aspect ratio, the length divided by the diameter or by 2r, which characterizes elongation.

Common examples include cans, pipes, tanks, rods, and architectural columns. In biology, rod-shaped bacteria are described as bacilli, reflecting a cylindrical morphology in many contexts. Cylindrical forms also appear in plant stems, mineral tubules, and many manufactured components where uniform cross-sections facilitate manufacturing and stress distribution.

The term derives from Latin cylindrus, via Old French cylindre, and while cylindrical or cylinder-like is often preferred in precise writings, cylindershaped serves as a descriptive compound in informal or specialized contexts. See also cylinder (mathematics) and cylindrical symmetry for related concepts.