To calculate the surface area of a rectangular prism, you need to find the sum of the areas of all its faces.
Step 1: Identify the dimensions of the rectangular prism:
Length = 2 cm
Width = 4 cm
Height = 6 cm
Step 2: Calculate the area of each face:
a) Front and back faces (with dimensions 2 cm × 6 cm):
Area of each face = Length × Height = 2 cm × 6 cm = 12 cm²
Since there are two identical faces, their total area is 2 × 12 cm² = 24 cm².
b) Top and bottom faces (with dimensions 2 cm × 4 cm):
Area of each face = Length × Width = 2 cm × 4 cm = 8 cm²
Again, there are two identical faces, so their total area is 2 × 8 cm² = 16 cm².
c) Side faces (with dimensions 4 cm × 6 cm):
Area of each face = Width × Height = 4 cm × 6 cm = 24 cm²
There are two identical side faces, so their total area is 2 × 24 cm² = 48 cm².
Step 3: Add up the areas of all the faces:
Total surface area = Front and back faces + Top and bottom faces + Side faces
Total surface area = 24 cm² + 16 cm² + 48 cm² = 88 cm²
Therefore, the surface area of the given rectangular prism is 88 cm².