Question

Selena and her sister are planning a sandbox shaped like a rectangular prism. They want to paint only the sides of the rectangular sides. How many square feet will be painted the basis 5 feet. The side length is 4 feet and the height is 1 foot.

Answer 1

To find the surface area to be painted (which consists of the sides of the rectangular prism), we need to calculate the area of the four vertical sides (the sides of the prism) only.

The rectangular prism has:
- Length (L) = 5 feet
- Width (W) = 4 feet
- Height (H) = 1 foot

The formula for the area of the sides of a rectangular prism is given by:

\[
\text{Total Side Area} = 2H(L + W)
\]

Substituting the values:

\[
\text{Total Side Area} = 2 \times 1 \times (5 + 4)
\]
\[
= 2 \times 1 \times 9
\]
\[
= 18 \text{ square feet}
\]

Thus, the area that will be painted is \( \boxed{18} \) square feet.