Final answer:
The cube has a greater surface area than the rectangular prism.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the surface area of the cube, we need to find the area of one face and multiply it by 6. Since each face of the cube is a square, the formula for the area of a square is side length squared. Therefore, the surface area of the cube is 6 x (6cm x 6cm) = 216 square cm.
For the rectangular prism, we need to find the area of the base and multiply it by the height. The formula for the area of a rectangle is length x width. So, the surface area of the rectangular prism is (3cm x 3cm) x 12cm = 108 square cm.
Since 216 > 108, the cube has a greater surface area than the rectangular prism.
Learn more about surface area