How do you find the surface area of a rectangular prism?
http://www.aaamath.com/geo79_x9.htm
cross sectional area*length
To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, you need to calculate the sum of the areas of all six faces.
First, measure the length (l), width (w), and height (h) of the rectangular prism.
The formula for finding the surface area is:
Surface Area = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
Now, let's break down the formula step by step:
1. Find the area of the top and bottom faces:
The top and bottom faces have the same dimensions, so the area of each is lw. Multiply this by 2 since there are two identical faces.
Area of top and bottom faces = 2lw
2. Find the area of the front and back faces:
The front and back faces also have the same dimensions, so the area of each is lh. Multiply this by 2 since there are two identical faces.
Area of front and back faces = 2lh
3. Find the area of the two side faces:
The two side faces also have the same dimensions, so the area of each is wh. Multiply this by 2 since there are two identical faces.
Area of side faces = 2wh
4. Add the areas of all six faces together:
Add the area of the top, bottom, front, back, and side faces.
Surface Area = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
By following this process, you can find the surface area of any rectangular prism.