Answer:
166 square centimeters
Explanation:
Surface area of a rectangular prism can be found by finding the area of each of the six surfaces of the prism. Remember that opposite sides on a rectangular prism are equal to each other, as they have the same side lengths. Because of this, the equation for surface area can be described as: 2lw + 2lh + 2wh. In this case, the length l is represented by 5cm, the width w is 4cm, and the height h is 7 cm. Now you can solve for the surface area:
SA = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
SA = 2(5 x 4) + 2(5 x 7) + 2(4 x 7)
SA = 2(20) + 2(35) + 2(28)
SA = 40 + 70 + 56
SA = 166
Recall that units of area are given as square units, and the measure of this rectangular prism is given in centimeters. The answer is then given in square centimeters.
SA = 166 square centimeters