A toy came in a container that is shaped like a triangular prism. How much wrapping paper is needed to wrap the toy? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.
To find the amount of wrapping paper needed to wrap a triangular prism, we need to calculate the surface area of the prism.
A triangular prism has two triangular bases and three rectangular faces. The formula to calculate the surface area of a triangular prism is:
Surface Area = 2(base area of the triangle) + (perimeter of the base triangle) * height
First, we need to find the base area of the triangle. Let's assume the base of the triangular prism is an equilateral triangle with side length = s.
The formula to find the area of an equilateral triangle is:
Area = (sqrt(3) / 4) * s^2
Next, we need to find the perimeter of the base equilateral triangle, which is:
Perimeter = 3s
Now, let's assume the height of the triangular prism is h.
The surface area of the triangular prism would be:
Surface Area = 2 * (sqrt(3) / 4) * s^2 + 3s * h
Once you have the dimensions of the triangular prism, you can substitute them into the formula to find the surface area.
Finally, round the result to the nearest whole number to determine how much wrapping paper is needed to wrap the toy.