Use a net to find the lateral area and the total surface area of the cereal box. side 12 inches length 8 in width 2 inches what is lateral area: what is surface area:

To find the lateral area you will find the area of all 4 faces that are perpendicular to the base.

You will multiply the side by the length (front/back) and the side by the width (sides).

12 x 8 = 96
12 x 2 = 24
120 square inches x 2 = 240 square inches

The lateral area is 240 square inches.

The area of the base is 8 x 2 = 16 square inches.

16 x 2 = 32 square inches

240 square inches + 32 square inches = 272 square inches is the surface area.