Question

Surface Area of Composite 3D Figures

Answer 1

To find the surface area of a composite 3D figure, you will need to break down the figure into its individual components and calculate the surface area of each component separately. Then, you can add up the surface areas of all the components to find the total surface area of the composite figure.

Here are the general steps to calculate the surface area of a composite 3D figure:

1. Identify the different individual components of the composite figure, such as cubes, prisms, pyramids, cylinders, cones, or spheres.

2. Calculate the surface area of each component separately using the appropriate formula. For example:
- Surface area of a cube = 6s^2, where s is the length of a side of the cube.
- Surface area of a rectangular prism = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh, where l, w, and h are the dimensions of the prism.
- Surface area of a cylinder = 2πr^2 + 2πrh, where r is the radius and h is the height of the cylinder.

3. Add up the surface areas of all the individual components to find the total surface area of the composite figure.

It is important to note that some composite figures may have overlapping components, so be sure to only count the surface area of each component once in your calculation. Additionally, make sure to use the correct units when expressing the surface area of the composite figure.