Finding Surface Area of Triangular Prisms

This lesson covers how to calculate the surface area of triangular prisms by understanding the congruent faces of different types of prisms: equilateral, isosceles, and scalene. The video explains the process of identifying the different sizes of rectangular faces based on the type of triangular base and provides a step-by-step plan for calculating the surface area for each type. The lesson emphasizes the importance of analyzing the prism type to apply the correct calculation method.

What is a characteristic of a triangular prism with equilateral triangle bases?

• All rectangular faces are different sizes.

• The triangular bases are not congruent.

• All rectangular faces are congruent.

• There are no rectangular faces.

How many different sizes of rectangular faces does a triangular prism with scalene triangle bases have?

• Four sizes

• Three sizes

• Two sizes

• One size

What is the first step in calculating the surface area of a triangular prism with scalene bases?

• Find the area of the large rectangle.

• Find the area of the triangles.

• Add the areas of all rectangles.

• Multiply the area of the triangle by three.

For a triangular prism with isosceles triangle bases, how many different sizes of rectangular faces are there?

• Two sizes

• One size

• Three sizes

• Four sizes

When dealing with equilateral triangle bases, what is the plan for finding the surface area?

• Find the area of the triangles and add the area of two congruent rectangles.

• Find the area of the triangles and add the area of four different rectangles.

• Find the area of the two triangles and add the area of three congruent rectangles.

• Find the area of the triangles and add the area of one large rectangle.