Example on how to calculate surface area

Question

ScanSolve AI Tutor · Accepted Answer

Let's calculate the surface area of a rectangular prism.

The formula for the surface area ( $SA$ ) of a rectangular prism with length ( $l$ ), width ( $w$ ), and height ( $h$ ) is:

SA = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh

Identify the dimensions.
Let's assume a rectangular prism has the following dimensions:
- Length ( $l$ ) = 5 cm
- Width ( $w$ ) = 3 cm
- Height ( $h$ ) = 2 cm
Substitute the values into the formula.
$SA = 2(5 \text{ cm})(3 \text{ cm}) + 2(5 \text{ cm})(2 \text{ cm}) + 2(3 \text{ cm})(2 \text{ cm})$
Perform the multiplications for each term.
$SA = 2(15 \text{ cm}^2) + 2(10 \text{ cm}^2) + 2(6 \text{ cm}^2)$ $SA = 30 \text{ cm}^2 + 20 \text{ cm}^2 + 12 \text{ cm}^2$
Add the terms together to find the total surface area.
$SA = 62 \text{ cm}^2$
The surface area of the rectangular prism is $\text{62 cm}^2$ .

Answer