Calculate Cube Side Length from 24 cm² Surface Area: Geometry Problem

Question

The surface area of a cube is 24 cm². How long is the cube's side?

Video Solution

Solution Steps

00:00 Find the cube's edge
00:06 In a cube all edges are equal
00:15 The surface area of the cube equals the sum of the faces' areas
01:01 Let's isolate A
01:12 And this is the solution to the question

Step-by-Step Solution

To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Identify the given information.
  • Step 2: Apply the appropriate formula for the surface area of a cube.
  • Step 3: Solve the equation to find the side length.

Now, let's work through each step:

Step 1: The problem gives us that the surface area of the cube is 24 cm².

Step 2: We'll use the formula for the surface area of a cube: A=6s2 A = 6s^2 , where A A is the surface area and s s is the side length.

Step 3: Substitute the given surface area into the formula and solve for s s :

6s2=24 6s^2 = 24

Divide both sides by 6 to isolate s2 s^2 :

s2=246=4 s^2 = \frac{24}{6} = 4

Take the square root of both sides to solve for s s :

s=4=2 s = \sqrt{4} = 2

Therefore, the solution to the problem is s=2 s = 2 cm.

Answer

2 2