Question

Each base of a triangular prism is a right triangle with side lengths 3 inches, 4 inches, and 5 inches. The height of the prism is 7 inches. What is the surface area of the prism?

Answer 1

Well, each base has 3*4/2=6 square inches. The lateral faces have 3*7, 4*7 and 5*7 as areas, totalling 12*7=84 square inches on the sides. The bases which total 12 sq. in. are added to the sides to get a total surface area of 96 square inches.