To find the surface area of a rectangular pyramid, we need to calculate the area of the base and the areas of the triangular faces.
Given measurements:
- Length (\( l \)) = 8 cm
- Width (\( w \)) = 4 cm
- Height (\( h \)) = 2 cm
Step 1: Calculate the area of the base
The base of the pyramid is a rectangle, so the area \( A_{\text{base}} \) is calculated as: \[ A_{\text{base}} = l \times w = 8 , \text{cm} \times 4 , \text{cm} = 32 , \text{cm}^2 \]
Step 2: Calculate the slant heights
To find the area of the triangular faces, we need the slant heights of the triangles. The slant height can be found using the Pythagorean theorem.
-
Slant height along the length: The slant height for the triangular face along the length can be calculated as: \[ l_s = \sqrt{\left(\frac{l}{2}\right)^2 + h^2} = \sqrt{\left(\frac{8 , \text{cm}}{2}\right)^2 + (2 , \text{cm})^2} = \sqrt{(4 , \text{cm})^2 + (2 , \text{cm})^2} = \sqrt{16 , \text{cm}^2 + 4 , \text{cm}^2} = \sqrt{20 , \text{cm}^2} \] \[ l_s = \sqrt{20} \approx 4.47 , \text{cm} \]
-
Slant height along the width: The slant height for the triangular face along the width is calculated similarly: \[ w_s = \sqrt{\left(\frac{w}{2}\right)^2 + h^2} = \sqrt{\left(\frac{4 , \text{cm}}{2}\right)^2 + (2 , \text{cm})^2} = \sqrt{(2 , \text{cm})^2 + (2 , \text{cm})^2} = \sqrt{4 , \text{cm}^2 + 4 , \text{cm}^2} = \sqrt{8 , \text{cm}^2} \] \[ w_s = \sqrt{8} \approx 2.83 , \text{cm} \]
Step 3: Calculate the area of the triangular faces
The area of each triangular face can be calculated as:
-
Two triangles with slant height along the length: \[ A_{\text{triangular, l}} = \frac{1}{2} \times l \times l_s = \frac{1}{2} \times 8 , \text{cm} \times 4.47 , \text{cm} \approx 17.88 , \text{cm}^2 \] Total for two triangular faces: \[ A_{\text{triangular, l, total}} = 2 \times A_{\text{triangular, l}} \approx 2 \times 17.88 , \text{cm}^2 \approx 35.76 , \text{cm}^2 \]
-
Two triangles with slant height along the width: \[ A_{\text{triangular, w}} = \frac{1}{2} \times w \times w_s = \frac{1}{2} \times 4 , \text{cm} \times 2.83 , \text{cm} \approx 5.66 , \text{cm}^2 \] Total for two triangular faces: \[ A_{\text{triangular, w, total}} = 2 \times A_{\text{triangular, w}} \approx 2 \times 5.66 , \text{cm}^2 \approx 11.32 , \text{cm}^2 \]
Step 4: Calculate the total surface area
The total surface area \( A_{\text{total}} \) of the pyramid is given by: \[ A_{\text{total}} = A_{\text{base}} + A_{\text{triangular, l, total}} + A_{\text{triangular, w, total}} \] \[ A_{\text{total}} = 32 , \text{cm}^2 + 35.76 , \text{cm}^2 + 11.32 , \text{cm}^2 \approx 79.08 , \text{cm}^2 \]
Therefore, the surface area of the rectangular pyramid is approximately \( 79.08 , \text{cm}^2 \).