Final answer:
The surface area of a square pyramid can be found by adding the areas of the base and the triangular faces. Use the formula (1/2) * base * height to find the area of each triangular face.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the surface area of a square pyramid, we need to add the areas of all the faces. A square pyramid has 5 faces: 1 square base and 4 triangular faces. The formula for the surface area is:
- Find the area of the base by squaring the length of one side of the base.
- Find the area of each triangular face by using the formula (1/2) * base * height. The base of each triangular face is the length of one side of the base, and the height is the height of the pyramid.
- Add the areas of the base and the 4 triangular faces to get the surface area of the pyramid.
Using the formula, we can calculate the surface area of the square pyramid.
Let's say the length of one side of the square base is 17 feet and the height of the pyramid is 24 feet. First, we find the area of the base: 17 * 17 = 289 square feet. Then, we find the area of each triangular face: (1/2) * 17 * 24 = 204 square feet. Finally, we add the areas together: 289 + 4 * 204 = 1085 square feet. Therefore, the surface area of the square pyramid is 1085 square feet.