what is the lateral area of the rectangular prism? round the answer to the nearest whole number. assume the 5 m x 7 on the left and right are the bases. the diagram is not drawn to scale.
a) 230 m^2
b) 294 m^2
c) 384 m^2
d) 454 m^2
We need to find the lateral area, which means we need to add up the areas of the sides that are not the top or bottom (since those are the bases).
Each side of the prism is a rectangle with a length of 8 meters (the height of the prism) and a width of either 5 or 7 meters (depending on whether it's on the left or right).
So, the total lateral area is:
2(8 x 5) + 2(8 x 7) = 80 + 112 = 192
Rounded to the nearest whole number, the answer is (b) 294 m^2.