Clhhf C.

asked • 05/21/25

can someone help me find the surface area of this triangular prism.

https://ibb.co/5X5NCZnp

Michael M.

tutor
Technically speaking, there is no solution to the problem since no triangular prism can be constructed with the following dimensions. Assuming that the side lengths of the triangle are 6cm, 6cm and 4cm, though, the surface area comes out to be 143.2cm^2
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05/21/25

Doug C.

Not sure why the triangular prism cannot be constructed. For sure there exists a triangle with side lengths 6,6,4.
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05/21/25

Doug C.

Perhaps the length of the altitude is incorrect? Think I will check that out.
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05/21/25

Doug C.

Yes, that is the problem, the altitude of the triangular base should be 3.77.
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05/21/25

Brenda D.

tutor
Clhhf C, did you check the dimensions of the figure as given? I agree with Michael M above, because sometimes what looks like an easy plug in problem is not so direct. Good catch Michael M. I also noticed there is no overall label for the figure and that the height while strongly implied is not directly labeled as such.
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05/23/25

3 Answers By Expert Tutors

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Doug C. answered • 05/21/25

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Doug C.

Per the comment made by Michael M in the original post, there is no triangle with sides 6,6,4 that has an altitude of 5.2. The altitude should have been specified as 3.77 (approx). So the area of each triangular base is actually 11.31. Poorly designed problem.
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05/21/25

Doug C.

desmos.com/calculator/j1mwak3isu
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05/21/25

Larissa D. answered • 05/24/25

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