Asked by Alex
The bases of a rectangular prism are squares whose perimeters are 36 inches. If the height of the prism is 8 inches, what is the surface are of the prism?
Answers
Answered by
MathMate
The surface area of a prism consists of two parts:
1. area of the bases
2. area of the sides.
Even without knowing the dimensions of the bases, the area of the sides can be calculated if the perimeter is known:
Side area
= perimeter of base * height
= 36 inches * 8 inches
= 288 square inches.
Since the area of the bases are not known, you can only calculate the area of the sides, which is probably the answer required.
1. area of the bases
2. area of the sides.
Even without knowing the dimensions of the bases, the area of the sides can be calculated if the perimeter is known:
Side area
= perimeter of base * height
= 36 inches * 8 inches
= 288 square inches.
Since the area of the bases are not known, you can only calculate the area of the sides, which is probably the answer required.