Use the formula for the surface area of a square pyramid to find the surface area if the base edge length is 5 yards and the height is 25 yards. Round to the nearest whole number.

a. 251 square yards
b. 151 square yards
c. 1,298 square yards
d. 276 square yards

1 answer

The formula for the surface area of a square pyramid is given by:

Surface Area = Base Area + (0.5 * Perimeter of Base * Slant height)

Given that the base edge length is 5 yards and the height is 25 yards, we can calculate the slant height using the Pythagorean theorem:

slant height = sqrt((base edge / 2)^2 + height^2)
= sqrt((5/2)^2 + 25^2)
= sqrt(6.25 + 625)
= sqrt(631.25)
≈ 25.13

Now, let's calculate the surface area:

Base Area = base edge^2
= 5^2
= 25

Perimeter of Base = 4 * base edge
= 4 * 5
= 20

Surface Area = Base Area + (0.5 * Perimeter of Base * Slant height)
= 25 + (0.5 * 20 * 25.13)
= 25 + (0.5 * 502.6)
= 25 + 251.3
≈ 276.3

Rounding to the nearest whole number, the surface area of the square pyramid is approximately 276 square yards.

Therefore, the correct answer is d. 276 square yards.