The diagram below shows the design for a piece of furniture made of 3 cubes joined together.

Two cubes vertically aligned, and the first cube has a cube to the left of it. Each cube has a side length 2 feet.

What is the total surface area of the piece of furniture?

A.
24 square feet

B.
28 square feet

C.
56 square feet

D.
72 square feet

1 answer

C. 56 square feet

Explanation:

Each cube has a surface area of 6 sides x 2 feet x 2 feet = 24 square feet. Since there are 3 cubes joined together, the total surface area of the piece of furniture is 24 square feet x 3 = 72 square feet. However, since one face of each cube is not exposed because it is inside the arrangement, the total surface area is actually 72 square feet - 16 square feet (for the interior faces) = 56 square feet.