Surface Area of a Rectangular Prism

Prism is a shape with n – sides. It is generally known as polyhedron. Each face of the prism is joined to its corresponding sides. All cross-sections in the prism are parallel to the base faces are the same. For three dimensional shapes, the area represents the surface area of the given figure. Prisms are classified into many, they are,

 1) Square prism

2) Triangular prism

3) Rectangular prism

4) Pentagonal prism

5) Trapezoidal prism and

6) Hexagonal prism.

           In this article we are going to see about surface area of a rectangular prism.

Formula for finding the surface area of rectangular prism:

The formula for finding the surface area of rectangular prism is given as,
Surface area of prism = 2 (base area) + P*h


Where, base area = base area of given object
                       P = perimeter of object
                        h = height of the object.

Area of rectangular prism examples:

Example 1:
Find the surface area of the rectangular prism, whose height is 2 cm, width is 3 cm and length is 4 cm.



Solution:
The formula for finding the surface area of rectangular prism is given as,
Surface area of rectangular prism = 2 (base area) + P*h
Base area of rectangle = l*w
                                  = 4*3
                                  = 12 cm²
Perimeter = 2(l +w)
               = 2(4 + 3)
               = 2(7)
               = 14 cm
Surface area = 2(12) + 14*2
                    = 24 + 28
                    = 52 cm²
The answer is 52 cm².

Example 2:
Find the surface area of the rectangular prism, whose height is 8 cm, width is 9 cm and length is 10 cm.



Solution:
The formula for finding the surface area of rectangular prism is given as,
Surface area of rectangular prism = 2 (base area) + P*h
Base area of rectangle = l*w
                                  = 10*9
                                  = 90 cm²
Perimeter = 2(l +w)
               = 2(10 + 9)
               = 2(19)
               = 38 cm
Surface area = 2(90) + 38*8
                   = 180 + 304
                   = 484 cm²
The answer is 484 cm².

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Example 3:
Find the surface area of the rectangular prism, whose height is 9.5 cm, width is 10.5 cm and length is 11.5 cm.



Solution:
The formula for finding the surface area of rectangular prism is given as,
Surface area of rectangular prism = 2 (base area) + P*h
Base area of rectangle = l*w
                                  = 11.5*10.5
                                  = 120.75 cm²
Perimeter = 2(l +w)
               = 2(11.5 + 10.5)
               = 2(22)
               = 44 cm
Surface area = 2(120.5) + 44*9.5
                   = 241 + 418
                   = 659 cm²
The answer is 659 cm².