Use the image to answer the question.

An illustration shows a triangular prism. The front triangular face is visible. The right rectangular face is visible. The sides and edges that are not visible are indicated by dashed lines. Parts are labeled with measurements. The left side and right side of the triangle measure 17 meters. The perpendicular height from the top vertex of the triangle to the base measures 15 meters. The base of the triangle measures 16 meters. The width of the rectangular face measures 11 meters.

What is the surface area of the net of the triangular prism?

Responses:

822 square meters

779 square meters

790 square meters

768 square meters

1 answer

To find the surface area of the net of the triangular prism, we need to calculate the areas of the triangular bases and the rectangular lateral faces.

  1. Area of the Triangular Base: The formula for the area of a triangle is: \[ \text{Area} = \frac{1}{2} \times \text{base} \times \text{height} \] Here, the base of the triangle is 16 meters and the height is 15 meters.

    \[ \text{Area}_{\text{triangle}} = \frac{1}{2} \times 16 \times 15 = \frac{1}{2} \times 240 = 120 \text{ square meters} \]

    Since there are two triangular bases: \[ \text{Total area of triangle} = 2 \times 120 = 240 \text{ square meters} \]

  2. Area of the Rectangular Faces: The prism has three rectangular faces. We will calculate the area of each:

    • Base Rectangle: The base that connects the two triangular faces is 16 meters in length and has a width of 11 meters (the height of the prism). \[ \text{Area}_{\text{base}} = 16 \times 11 = 176 \text{ square meters} \]

    • Left Rectangle: One side of the triangle measures 17 meters, so the area of the left rectangle is: \[ \text{Area}_{\text{left}} = 17 \times 11 = 187 \text{ square meters} \]

    • Right Rectangle: The other side of the triangle also measures 17 meters, so the area of the right rectangle is: \[ \text{Area}_{\text{right}} = 17 \times 11 = 187 \text{ square meters} \]

    Now, summing up the areas of the rectangular faces: \[ \text{Total area of rectangles} = 176 + 187 + 187 = 550 \text{ square meters} \]

  3. Total Surface Area of the Prism: By adding the areas of the triangular bases and the rectangular faces: \[ \text{Total Surface Area} = \text{Total area of triangles} + \text{Total area of rectangles} \] \[ \text{Total Surface Area} = 240 + 550 = 790 \text{ square meters} \]

Thus, the surface area of the net of the triangular prism is 790 square meters.