First, calculate the surface area of each figure and then compare them.
Cube:
The cube is made up from 6 equal square surfaces. Then, the surface area is six time the area of one square. The area of each square is 9 squared cm, since:
Then, the surface area of the cube is:
Rectangular prism
The rectangular prism has 6 faces, which are 3 pairs of rectangles.
Find the area of each type of rectangle. Then, add them twice to find the surface of the prism:
The first type of rectangle has sides of 3cm and 2cm. Then, the area is equal to:
The second type of rectangle has sides of 3cm and 6cm. Then, the area is equal to:
The third type of rectangle has sides of 2cm and 6cm. Then, the area is equal to:
Then, the total surface area of the prism is:
Finally, substract the area of the cube from the area of the rectangular prism to find how much greater the area of the prism is:
Therefore, the answer is: