Question

follow the steps to find the surface area of the square prism. what is the area of the top and bottom? top and bottom: ? front and back: sides: total sa: 3 cm 8 cm 3 cm

Explanation:

Step1: Identify shape of top - bottom

The top and bottom of the square prism are squares with side length $a = 3$ cm.

Step2: Apply area formula for square

The area formula for a square is $A=a^{2}$. For each square (top and bottom), with $a = 3$ cm, the area of one square is $A = 3\times3=9$ $cm^{2}$.

Step3: Calculate total area of top and bottom

Since there are 2 such squares (top and bottom), the total area of the top and bottom is $2\times9 = 18$ $cm^{2}$.

Answer:

$18$ $cm^{2}$