To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, you can use the formula:
\[ \text{Surface Area} = 2(lw + lh + wh) \]
where \( l \) is the length, \( w \) is the width, and \( h \) is the height of the prism.
For your rectangular prism:
- Length (\( l \)) = 8 units
- Width (\( w \)) = 5 units
- Height (\( h \)) = 4 units
Let’s plug these values into the formula:
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Calculate \( lw \): \[ lw = 8 \times 5 = 40 \]
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Calculate \( lh \): \[ lh = 8 \times 4 = 32 \]
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Calculate \( wh \): \[ wh = 5 \times 4 = 20 \]
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Now add these areas together: \[ lw + lh + wh = 40 + 32 + 20 = 92 \]
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Finally, multiply by 2 to get the surface area: \[ \text{Surface Area} = 2 \times 92 = 184 \]
Therefore, the surface area of the prism is 184 square units.