Question

What is the surface area of this square pyramid? 12 cm 6 cm 6 cm

Answer 1

Solution

Step 1

Write an expression for the surface area of a square-based pyramid

$\begin{gathered} \text{Surface Area(}S\mathrm{}A)\text{ =}2bs+b^2 \\ \text{Where} \\ b\text{ = base length = 6cm} \\ \text{s = slant height = 12cm} \end{gathered}$

Step 2

Substitute in the values and find the S.A of the pyramid

$\begin{gathered} S\mathrm{}A\text{ = (2}\times6\times12)+6^2 \\ S\mathrm{}A\text{ = 144 + 36} \\ S\mathrm{}A=180cm^2 \end{gathered}$

Therefore the surface area of the square-based pyramid = 180cm²