Final answer:
To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, multiply the area of each type of face by two and sum the results; there are three distinct types of faces calculated by their respective dimensions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The surface area of a rectangular prism can be found by calculating the area of each face and then summing them up, with the factor of multiplication by two coming into play for pairs of identical faces.
To find the surface area, you first calculate the area of one pair of parallel faces (length x width), then the area of another pair of parallel faces (length x height), and finally the area of the last pair of parallel faces (width x height). As there are two of each of these faces on a rectangular prism, you multiply each calculated area by two and then sum them to get the total surface area.
Calculate each area:
- Area of face 1 = length x width
- Area of face 2 = width x height
- Area of face 3 = length x height
Then, multiply each area by two and add them together:
- Total Surface Area = 2(Area of face 1) + 2(Area of face 2) + 2(Area of face 3)