Keira is wrapping up her air conditioner for the winter. She needs to determine how much shrink wrap will cover the air conditioner completely. If the dimensions of the air conditioner are 23" x 25" x 17", what is the surface area in square inches? Use a net to help you calculate your answer.
To calculate the surface area of the air conditioner, we need to find the area of each of the six sides and then add them up.
Front and back sides:
23" x 25" = 575 square inches (each side)
Top and bottom sides:
23" x 17" = 391 square inches (each side)
Left and right sides:
25" x 17" = 425 square inches (each side)
Adding them all up:
Front and back sides = 2 x 575 = 1150 square inches
Top and bottom sides = 2 x 391 = 782 square inches
Left and right sides = 2 x 425 = 850 square inches
Total surface area = 1150 + 782 + 850 = 2782 square inches
Therefore, Keira will need 2782 square inches of shrink wrap to cover the air conditioner completely.