Surface Area

• What does it mean to you?

• Does it have anything to do with what is in
the inside of the prism.?
• Surface area is found by finding the area
of all the sides and then adding those
answers up.
• How will the answer be labeled?
• Units2 because it is area!
 Rectangular Prism
B
How many faces are
5 C on here? 6
A
in Find the area of each of
6 the faces.
4 Do any of the faces
A = 5 x 4 = 20 x 2 =40 have the same area?
B = 6 x 5 = 30 x 2 = 60 If so, which ones?
C = 4 x 6 = 24 x 2 = 48 Opposite faces are the same.
148 in2
Find the SA
 Cube
A Are all the faces the same? YES

4m How many faces are

there? 6

Find the Surface area of

one of the faces.

4 x 4 = 16 Take that times the

X6 number of faces.

96 m2 SA for a cube.
 Triangular Prism
How many faces are
4 5 there? 5
How many of each shape does it
10 m take to make this prism?
3 2 triangles and 3 rectangles = SA of a
triangular prism
Find the surface area. Start by x 2= 12
4 x 3/2 = 6
finding the area of the triangle.
How many triangles were 5 x 10 = 50 = front
there? 2
4 x 10 = 40 = back
Find the area of the 3
rectangles. 3 x 10 = 30 = bottom

What is the final SA? SA = 132 m2

 SA
• You can find the SA of any prism by using
the basic formula for SA which is
• 2B + LSA= SA
• LSA= lateral Surface area
• LSA= perimeter of the base x height of the
prism
• B = the base of the prism.
 Triangular Prisms
• Use the same triangular prism we used before.
Let’s us the formula this time. 2B + LSA=SA
• Find the area of the base, which is a triangle
because it is a triangular prism. You will need
two of them.
• Now, find the perimeter of that same base and
multiply it by how many layer of triangles are in
the picture. That is the LSA.
• Add that to the two bases. Now you should have
the same answer as before.
• Either way is the correct way.
 Cylinders
What does it take to make this?
6 10m
2 circles and 1 rectangle= a cylinder
2B + LSA = SA

2B 3.14 x 9 = 28.26 X 2 = 56.52

+ LSA(p x H) 3.14 x 6 =18.84 x 10 = 188.4

SA = 244.92
Why should you learn about surface area?
Is it something that you will ever use in
everyday life?
If so, who do you know that uses it?
Have you ever had to use it outside of
math?