A rectangular prism has length of 2 feet, a width of 3 feet, and a height of 4 feet. What is the surface area of the rectangular prism? Draw a net to help you find your answer.
? square feet
The surface area of a rectangular prism can be found by adding up the areas of all six faces.
The formula for the surface area of a rectangular prism is:
Surface Area = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
where l = length, w = width, and h = height
Plugging in the values:
Surface Area = 2(2)(3) + 2(2)(4) + 2(3)(4)
Surface Area = 12 + 16 + 24
Surface Area = 52 square feet
To visualize the net of the rectangular prism, we can draw a diagram showing all six faces unfolded. Each of the faces will have the dimensions of the corresponding face of the prism.
The net of the rectangular prism would look like this:
___________________________
| | |
| 2x3 | 4x3 |
|__________|__________|
| | |
| 2x3 | 4x3 |
|__________|__________|
| | |
| 2x4 | 3x4 |
|__________|__________|
The area of each of these faces can be calculated and added up to find the total surface area.