To solve this problem, we use the formula given, which states that SA=6s^2, where SA is the surface area and s is the edge length of the cube.
We were given that the edge length of the cube is 3 1/2 feet, and that we are trying to find the surface area of the cube, so let’s plug these values into our formula.
SA=6(3 1/2)^2
To make this easier to simplify, we are going to replace 3 1/2 with its equal improper fraction, 7/2.
SA=6(7/2)^2
Now, following the order of operations, we are going to simplify what is inside the parenthesis by squaring it.
SA=6(49/4)
Now, we are going to multiply our last two terms together, to get:
SA= 294/4
This number simplifies to 147/2 when we divide both the numerator and denominator by their greatest common factor of 2.
However, the problem asks for your answer as a mixed number in simplest form, which we get when we divide out this improper fraction.
Your final answer is 73 1/2 ft^2.
I hope this helps!