What is a Cube?
Prior to learning how to calculate the surface area (SA) of a cube, let us define what a cube is. A cube is a three dimensional six sided solid object or we can simply say that a cube is the only regular hexahedron and is one of the five Platonic solids.
Features of a Cube.
- A cube has 12 edges, 6 faces, and 8 vertices.
- All the faces of a cube are shaped as a square hence the length, breadth, and height are the same.
- The angles between any two faces or surfaces are 90°.
- The opposite faces in a cube are parallel to each other.
- The opposite edges in a cube are parallel to each other.
Formula to Calculate the Surface Area of a Cube.
SA is the sum of all the areas of all the shapes that cover the surface of the object and to calculate the SA of a cube we begin by calculating area of the six faces and then add the areas.
The formula to find the area of one side of the cube is that of finding the area of a square which is.
Area = a x a
or Area = a^2
Or we can simply get the area by finding the area for one of the faces and then multiply that area by 6.
Example 1:
Calculate the SA of a cube whose length is 2cm.
Hence, the surface area of the cube is 24 cm² .
Example 2:
Find the SA of a cubed aquarium, if one of its sides measures 100cm.
Thus, the surface area of the aquarium is 60,000cm².
