To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, you can use the formula:
Surface Area = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
Where:
- l = length
- w = width
- h = height
This formula accounts for all six rectangular faces of the prism. Essentially, you calculate the area of each pair of opposite faces and sum them up.
For example, if you have a rectangular prism with a length of 5 units, a width of 3 units, and a height of 4 units, you would plug those values into the formula:
Surface Area = 2(5)(3) + 2(5)(4) + 2(3)(4)
This simplifies to:
Surface Area = 30 + 40 + 24 = 94 square units
So, the surface area of this rectangular prism would be 94 square units. This measurement is useful in many practical applications, such as determining how much paint is needed to cover the surface or how much wrapping material is required for packaging.