Question

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.

Answer 1

To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, we need to find the area of each of the six faces and then add them together.

The net of the rectangular prism would look like this:

```
_______________
/ / \
/ / \
/____________/ \
| | |
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| | |
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| | |
|___________|_________ |

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The net shows the six faces of the rectangular prism: two "2x3" faces, two "2x4" faces, and two "3x4" faces.

Now, let's find the area of each face and add them together:

Area of the "2x3" faces:
2 feet * 3 feet = 6 square feet (each face)
Total area = 6 square feet * 2 faces = 12 square feet

Area of the "2x4" faces:
2 feet * 4 feet = 8 square feet (each face)
Total area = 8 square feet * 2 faces = 16 square feet

Area of the "3x4" faces:
3 feet * 4 feet = 12 square feet (each face)
Total area = 12 square feet * 2 faces = 24 square feet

Now, add the total area of all the faces:
12 square feet + 16 square feet + 24 square feet = 52 square feet

Therefore, the surface area of the rectangular prism is 52 square feet.