Surface Area of Prisms Flashcards

GCSE Mathematics (Edexcel) 1MA1

Surface area of a prism

The total area of all the faces of the prism, including the bases and the lateral faces.

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10 Cards

Terms in this set (10)

Surface area of a prism

The total area of all the faces of the prism, including the bases and the lateral faces.

Net of a prism

A 2D representation of all the faces of a prism laid out flat.

Lateral faces of a prism

The rectangular faces that connect the two bases of the prism.

Formula for surface area of a prism

Surface area = 2 × area of the base + perimeter of the base × height.

Steps to calculate surface area of a prism

1. Find the area of the two bases. 2. Find the area of the lateral faces. 3. Add all the areas together.

Surface area of a rectangular prism

Surface area = 2 × (length × width) + 2 × (length × height) + 2 × (width × height).

Surface area of a triangular prism

Surface area = 2 × area of the triangular base + perimeter of the base × height of the prism.

Units for surface area

Surface area is measured in square units, e.g., cm², m².

Importance of the net in surface area

The net helps visualise all the faces of the prism to ensure no face is missed when calculating surface area.

Common mistake in surface area calculations

Forgetting to include all faces or using incorrect dimensions for the base or height.

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