Use the image to answer the question.
An illustration shows the unfolded version of a rectangular prism composed of 6 rectangles. There are four adjoining rectangles positioned horizontally. The first and third are similar and smaller. The second and fourth are similar and bigger. The first rectangle is labeled 3 meters on the left side vertically and 1.5 meters on the top horizontally. The second rectangle is labeled as 4 meters on the bottom. The fourth rectangle shares the top and bottom sides with two similar rectangles, one on each side.
What is the surface area of the rectangular prism?
To find the surface area of the rectangular prism, we need to calculate the area of each of the 6 rectangles that make up the prism and then add them together.
1. The area of the first rectangle is 3 meters * 1.5 meters = 4.5 square meters.
2. The area of the second rectangle is 3 meters * 4 meters = 12 square meters.
3. The area of the third rectangle is the same as the first, 4.5 square meters.
4. The area of the fourth rectangle is also the same as the second, 12 square meters.
Now, we need to calculate the area of the top and bottom rectangles which are larger than the first and third rectangles but share the same width.
5. The top and bottom rectangles have dimensions of 4 meters by 1.5 meters, so their area is 4 meters * 1.5 meters = 6 square meters each.
Adding all the area values together:
4.5 + 12 + 4.5 + 12 + 6 + 6 = 45 square meters
Therefore, the surface area of the rectangular prism is 45 square meters.