alexandra's BOB

Surface Area & Volume of a Rectangular Prism

Surface Area
S.A. = 2 (h x L) + 2 (L x w) + 2 (h x w)
h = 5cm
L = 10 cm
w = 2 cm

2 (5cm x 10cm) + 2 (10cm x 2cm) + 2 (5cm x 2cm) = 160cm²

WHY IS IT A SQUARED CM?
-The surface area of a rectangular prism is measured as SQUARED CM because a surface area has 2 dimensions.

Volume
V = L x w x h
L = 10cm
w = 2cm
h = 5cm

10cm x 2cm x 5cm = 100cm³
According to commutative property of multiplication, the order of the numbers that we multiply doesn't matter. That means, if you mix up the numbers, you'll still get the same answers.
eg: 10 x 2 x 5 = 100cm³
2 x 5 x 10 = 100cm³
5 x 2 x 10 = 100cm³

Here's another way:
(L x w) x h = Volume
(10cm x 2cm) x 5cm = 100cm³
(2cm x 5cm) x 10cm = 100cm³

WHY IS IT A CUBIC CM?
-The volume of a rectangular prism is measured as CUBIC CM because the volume of a certain rectangular prism has 3 dimensions.