Answer :
Final answer:
The surface area of a cereal box that is a rectangular prism with dimensions 11 inches by 3 inches by 8 inches is calculated by finding the area of all its faces and adding them together, resulting in a surface area of 290 square inches.
Explanation:
The question asks for the surface area of a cereal box that is a rectangular prism with given dimensions 11 inches by 3 inches by 8 inches.
To calculate the surface area of a rectangular prism, we need to find the area of all six surfaces and then add them together. A rectangular prism has 3 pairs of identical faces. Here are the steps:
Calculate the area of the front and back faces which are 11 inches by 8 inches: 11 in × 8 in = 88 in2. Since there are 2 such faces, total is 88 in2 × 2 = 176 in2.
Do the same for the top and bottom faces that measure 11 inches by 3 inches: 11 in × 3 in = 33 in2. Again, multiplying by 2 gives us 66 in2.
Finally, calculate the area of the side faces that measure 3 inches by 8 inches: 3 in × 8 in = 24 in2, and multiply by 2 to get 48 in2.
Add all the areas together: 176 in2 + 66 in2 + 48 in2 = 290 in2.
So, the surface area of the cereal box is 290 in2.
