To find the surface area of a rectangular prism, you need to find the area of each of the six faces and then add them together.
The formula for the surface area of a rectangular prism is:
Surface Area = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
Given:
Length (l) = 12 inches
Width (w) = 5 inches
Height (h) = 3 inches
Substitute the given values into the formula:
Surface Area = 2(12)(5) + 2(12)(3) + 2(5)(3)
Surface Area = 120 + 72 + 30
Surface Area = 222
Therefore, the surface area of the rectangular prism is 222 square inches.