Decompose the box net into simple polygons to find how much cardboard in square

Answer 1

In order to find the total amount of cardboard, we need to calculate the area of each individual polygon that makes up the box net.

The box net is composed of 6 polygons: a rectangle for the front, a rectangle for the back, a rectangle for the top, a rectangle for the bottom, and two rectangles for the sides.

Let's assume the dimensions of the box are as follows:
- Front and back rectangles: 6 cm x 4 cm
- Top and bottom rectangles: 6 cm x 4 cm
- Side rectangles: 4 cm x 4 cm

Calculating the area of each polygon:
- Front and back rectangles: 6 cm x 4 cm = 24 square cm each
- Top and bottom rectangles: 6 cm x 4 cm = 24 square cm each
- Side rectangles: 4 cm x 4 cm = 16 square cm each

Total cardboard used = 2*(24) + 2*(24) + 2*(16) = 48 + 48 + 32 = 128 square cm

Therefore, the total amount of cardboard used to make the box is 128 square cm.