<PRE><B>Question 268206</B>
Hi, I am a mom who is trying to help my 11 year old with a math problem. The question is 
1. Find the total surface area of a cube whose edge is 2 meters long. 
I believe that the answer would be (2x2)6 = 24 
He thinks it is (2x1)8 = 16 m 
He thinks that a cube has 8 edges so it would be x 8. I think it would be times 6 but can not remember why
------------
A cube has 8 vertices and 8 edges, but only 6 faces.
The surface area is 6 times the area of one of the faces, = 6*2^2 = 24 sq meters.
----------
If you paint it, the amount of paint needed is determined by the area of the faces, not the # of edges.
</PRE>