Tommy and Cole are planning to build an aquarium for their pet fish. If the dimensions of the aquarium are 17 inches long, 9 inches wide, and 11 inches tall, how much glass do they to enclose the aquarium?
surface area = _____ square inches
To calculate the surface area of the aquarium, we need to find the area of each of the six sides and then add them together.
1. The front and back sides are rectangular with dimensions 17 inches long and 11 inches tall. The area of each side is 17 x 11 = 187 square inches.
There are 2 such sides, so the total area of the front and back sides = 2 x 187 = 374 square inches.
2. The left and right sides are rectangular with dimensions 9 inches wide and 11 inches tall. The area of each side is 9 x 11 = 99 square inches.
There are 2 such sides, so the total area of the left and right sides = 2 x 99 = 198 square inches.
3. The top and bottom sides are rectangular with dimensions 17 inches long and 9 inches wide. The area of each side is 17 x 9 = 153 square inches.
There are 2 such sides, so the total area of the top and bottom sides = 2 x 153 = 306 square inches.
Therefore, the total surface area of the aquarium is:
374 + 198 + 306 = 878 square inches
Tommy and Cole need 878 square inches of glass to enclose their aquarium.