In the formula below for the Surface Area of a square pyramid, why do we multiply the slant height and base by 4 before dividing by 2? (1 point)
1 point
1/2 (lb) is the formula for a square and there are 4 squares
1/2 (lb) is the formula for the area of a triangle and there are 4 equal triangles.
We just picked a random number
The correct answer is:
1/2 (lb) is the formula for the area of a triangle and there are 4 equal triangles.
A square pyramid is made up of four identical triangular faces and a square base. To find the surface area, we need to calculate the area of each triangular face and the base, and then add them together.
The base of the pyramid is a square, and since all sides of a square are equal, we only need to calculate the area of one side of the square and then multiply it by 4 to account for all four sides.
Additionally, the slant height of each triangular face is the same for a square pyramid, so we only need to calculate the area of one triangle and then multiply it by 4 to account for all four triangles.
Therefore, we multiply the slant height and base by 4 before dividing by 2 in order to calculate the correct surface area of the square pyramid.