What is the surface area of a 1 cm by 2 cm by 2 cm rectangular prism?
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Solution
The area of the 2 cm by 2 cm base of the rectangular prism is 2 2 =4 cm 2. The top face of the prism is identical to the base and so its area is also 4 cm2. Each of the 4 vertical faces of the prism has dimensions 2 cm by 1 cm, and thus has area 2 1 =2 cm 2. Therefore the surface area of the rectangular prism is 2 4+4 2=16 cm 2.
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