Which quantity is included in the surface area of a rectangular prism?

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Multiple Choice

Which quantity is included in the surface area of a rectangular prism?

Explanation:
Surface area is the total of all face areas of a solid. A rectangular prism has six faces, each a rectangle, and you add the areas of all of them to get the surface area. In terms of length, width, and height, that means you compute two faces with lw, two with lh, and two with wh, giving 2(lw + lh + wh). This shows why the area of all faces is the quantity included. Volume, on the other hand, measures space inside, not surface area. A single edge length is a linear measurement, not an area. A diagonal is a line, not a surface area.

Surface area is the total of all face areas of a solid. A rectangular prism has six faces, each a rectangle, and you add the areas of all of them to get the surface area. In terms of length, width, and height, that means you compute two faces with lw, two with lh, and two with wh, giving 2(lw + lh + wh). This shows why the area of all faces is the quantity included. Volume, on the other hand, measures space inside, not surface area. A single edge length is a linear measurement, not an area. A diagonal is a line, not a surface area.

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