Surface Area and Dimensions of a Tipi

Figure A

 My daughter received a tipi as a gift from her grandfather for her 16th birthday.  This tipi is used for our native american cultural ceremonies.  Time and time again, I observed my relatives set it up for these purposes and I never knew the surface area or the dimensions of this tipi.  The only information I knew was that the diameter is 26 feet and 19 feet in height.  I had no idea how they set it up but I never saw anyone with a calculator or figuring out a math solution for this tipi.

Well... I decided to investigate the set up of this tipi when I learned about dimensions and surface area of a cone.  The surface area of a tipi is shaped like a cone other than the front part that they call ears where smoke escapes from the fire that is built inside.  As you can see in Figure A, I figured about the dimensions by using the Pythagorean theorem.  Then I used the surface area formula to get the results of the surface area.  The end result of what it actually looks like after it is set up (Figure B).

Sources:

Surface Area of a Tipi, Home. Personal photograph by Miranda Tachine-Benally. 2016.

Native American Tipi, Pinon, Arizona.  Personal photograph by Miranda Tachine-Benally. 2016

Tachine-Benally, Miranda.  Personal Measurement Investigation. 08 Oct. 2016. Home. Mesa.

Figure B