A) Rectangular prism A has a surface area of 25 square units and rectangular prism B has a

surface area of 100 square units. Which statement accurately compares the dimensions of prism
A to those of prism B? (1 point)
Since prism B’s surface area is 4 times as large as prism A’s surface area, prism B’s dimensions
are 8 times as large as prism A’s.
Since prism B’s surface area is 4 times as large as prism A’s surface area, prism B’s dimensions
are 16 times as large as prism A’s.
Since prism B’s surface area is 4 times as large as prism A’s surface area, prism B’s dimensions
are half as large as prism A’s.
Since prism B’s surface area is 4 times as large as prism A’s surface area, prism B’s dimensions
are twice as large as prism A’s.

1 answer

To analyze the relationship between the surface areas of the two rectangular prisms (A and B) and their dimensions, we can use the formula for the surface area of a rectangular prism, which is:

\[ SA = 2(lw + lh + wh) \]

where \(l\), \(w\), and \(h\) are the length, width, and height of the prism.

The surface area of prism A is 25 square units, and the surface area of prism B is 100 square units. We observe that:

\[ \frac{SA_B}{SA_A} = \frac{100}{25} = 4 \]

This tells us that prism B's surface area is 4 times that of prism A.

When the dimensions of a three-dimensional object are scaled by a factor \(k\), the surface area scales by a factor of \(k^2\). Therefore, if the dimensions of prism B are \(k\) times larger than those of prism A, we have:

\[ \left( \frac{SA_B}{SA_A} \right) = k^2 \]

In this case, we found:

\[ 4 = k^2 \]

Solving for \(k\):

\[ k = \sqrt{4} = 2 \]

This means that the dimensions of prism B are 2 times as large as the corresponding dimensions of prism A.

Therefore, the correct statement is:

Since prism B’s surface area is 4 times as large as prism A’s surface area, prism B’s dimensions are twice as large as prism A’s.