To find the surface area of the rectangular prism, we need to calculate the area of each of the 6 rectangles and then add them together.
Rectangle 1:
Area = 3 meters * 1.5 meters = 4.5 square meters
Rectangle 2:
Area = 3 meters * 4 meters = 12 square meters
Rectangle 3:
Area = 1.5 meters * 3 meters = 4.5 square meters
Rectangle 4:
Area = 1.5 meters * 4 meters = 6 square meters
Rectangle 5 (the top):
Area = 4 meters * 3 meters = 12 square meters
Rectangle 6 (the bottom):
Area = 4 meters * 3 meters = 12 square meters
Adding all the areas together:
4.5 + 12 + 4.5 + 6 + 12 + 12 = 51 square meters
Therefore, the surface area of the rectangular prism is 51 square meters.