The formula for volume of prisms and pyramids are very similar. The pyramid volume formula is one third of the prism volume formula. Cylinders and cone are pretty similar too. A cone is a third of the volume formula for cylinders.The surface area formula for a prism is basically finding the area for all of the sides of the figure. In a pyramid,to find the surface area you find the perimeter of your base and multiply is by the slant height. Then you divide it by two.In a cylinder, you find the area of your circles, and then the area of your rectangle surrounding your circles,while as In a cone,you find the area of the base and multiply it by the radius, slant height, and pi.