Which box requires the lesser amount of material to make? Box (a) has length 60 cm, breadth 40 cm, and height 50 cm. Box (b) has length 50 cm, breadth 50 cm, and height 50 cm. Show your working.

1. Which box requires the lesser amount of material to make?

Step 1: Calculate the total surface area (TSA) of Box (a).
Box (a) has length $l_a = 60$ cm, breadth $b_a = 40$ cm, and height $h_a = 50$ cm.
The formula for the total surface area of a cuboid is $2(lb + bh + hl)$.

$$\text{TSA}_a = 2(60 \times 40 + 40 \times 50 + 50 \times 60)$$ $$$$