To find the total surface area of a rectangular prism, you can use the formula:
\[ \text{Surface Area} = 2(lw + lh + wh) \]
where:
- \( l \) = length
- \( w \) = width
- \( h \) = height
For your rectangular prism:
- Height \( h = 2 \) cm
- Width \( w = 5 \) cm
- Length \( l = 4 \) cm
Now, plug in the values into the formula:
\[ \text{Surface Area} = 2(4 \cdot 5 + 4 \cdot 2 + 5 \cdot 2) \]
Calculating each part:
- \( lw = 4 \cdot 5 = 20 \)
- \( lh = 4 \cdot 2 = 8 \)
- \( wh = 5 \cdot 2 = 10 \)
Adding these together:
\[ 20 + 8 + 10 = 38 \]
Now multiply by 2:
\[ \text{Surface Area} = 2 \cdot 38 = 76 \text{ cm}^2 \]
Thus, the total surface area of the rectangular prism is \( 76 \text{ cm}^2 \).