How much wrapping paper is needed to cover the gift box, given that the length (l) is 12 inches, the width (w) is 8 inches, and the height (h) is 4 inches.

Question

How much wrapping paper is needed to cover the gift box, given that the length (l) is 12 inches, the width (w) is 8 inches, and the height (h) is 4 inches. Round your answer to one decimal place, if necessary.

Answer 1

surface area = 2lw + 2lh + 2hw = 2(lw+lh + hw) = 2(12x8 + 12x4 + 4x8) = 2(96+48+32) = 2(176) = 352 square inches

divide by 144 to convert to square feet = 352/144 = 2 4/9 ft^2= 2.4 square feet, rounded to one decimal place

Answer 2

A rectangular box has 6 sides: top/bottom, front/back, left side and right side.

The amount of wrapping paper needed to cover the top and bottom is the same and it is 12 inches x 8 inches = 12•8 = 96 square inches each so combining both top and bottom, it is 96•2 = 192 sq in.

The amount of wrapping paper needed to cover the front and back is the same and it is 8 inches x 4 inches = 8•4 = 32 square inches each so combining both front and back, it is 32•2 = 64 sq in.

The amount of wrapping paper needed to cover the left and right sides is the same and it is 12 inches x 4 inches = 12•4 = 48 square inches each so combining both left and right sides, it is 48•2 = 96 sq in.

Adding these all together we get 192 + 64 + 96 = 352 square inches

It takes 352 square inches of wrapping paper to wrap a 12 x 8 x 4 inch box