Final answer:
The surface area of a rectangular prism with a length of 5 inches, a height of 1 inch, and a width of 4 inches is calculated by summing up the areas of all its faces. The formula used is SA = 2(lh) + 2(wh) + 2(lw), which equates to 58 square inches for this particular prism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks for the surface area of a solid, specifically a rectangular prism, which can be formed from a given net with dimensions of length 5 inches, height 1 inch, and width 4 inches. To calculate the surface area, we need to find the areas of all the faces of the prism and sum them up.
The rectangular prism has 6 faces in total: 2 faces are formed by the length and height (5 inches × 1 inch), 2 faces are formed by the width and height (4 inches × 1 inch), and 2 faces are formed by the length and width (5 inches × 4 inches).
Therefore, the surface area (SA) can be calculated as follows:
SA = 2(lh) + 2(wh) + 2(lw)
SA = 2(5 × 1) + 2(4 × 1) + 2(5 × 4)
SA = 2(5) + 2(4) + 2(20)
SA = 10 + 8 + 40
SA = 58 square inches
The surface area of the rectangular prism is 58 square inches.