lateral surface area
Reading Passage 1
Wrapping Gifts
A company is making a gift box shaped like a cube. They want to wrap the box with paper. They see that the paper goes on the sides but not on the top or bottom. The sides are the lateral surface area. Each side is the same size, so they find the area of one side and add all four. The top and bottom are the Base, so they do not wrap those parts.
Now the company makes a new package shaped like a pyramid. This shape has triangle sides that meet at the top. They wrap only the sides again, which is the lateral surface area. The Base stays on the table and is not wrapped. Even though the shape is different, they still choose only the side faces. This helps them know what parts need paper.
Reading Passage 2
Wrapping Gifts
A company is designing a gift box shaped like a cube. They need to wrap the box with paper, but they notice that only the sides will be covered, not the top or bottom. These side faces make up the lateral surface area of the box. Since each side is the same size, they find the area of one face and combine all four. The top and bottom are the Base, so they are not included in the wrapping. This helps the company focus only on the surfaces that actually need to be covered.
Next, the company creates a package shaped like a pyramid. This shape has triangular side faces that meet at a point. When wrapping this package, they again focus on the side faces that form the lateral surface area. The Base sits on the bottom and does not need to be wrapped. Even though the shape has changed, the idea stays the same. The company must decide which surfaces to include when preparing the wrapping.
Reading Passage 3
Wrapping Gifts
A company is designing a gift box in the shape of a cube and needs to determine how to wrap it efficiently. As they plan, they realize that the wrapping paper will cover only the side faces and not the top or bottom. These side faces represent the lateral surface area of the cube. Because each face is congruent, they calculate the area of one face and combine all four. The top and bottom faces are the Base, so they are excluded from the wrapping. This allows the company to focus only on the surfaces that require material.
The company then designs a second package shaped like a pyramid. This figure has triangular side faces that meet at a single point. When wrapping this package, they again consider only the faces that form the lateral surface area. The Base remains on the bottom and is not included in the wrapping process. Although the structure of the shape is different, the concept remains consistent. The company must identify which surfaces are relevant when determining how to cover the package.