Name________________________________________________________________
Date_____________
Expected Learning Outcome: You will arrange cubes into rectangular and square prisms
that have different surface areas. You will be able to find the smallest surface area from a
given number of cubes.
Pack it up!
We have been working with surface area in math. Today your job is to work with a
teammate to solve a surface area math problem from the real world.
You and your teammate are in charge of a caramel candy company called Sweet Treats.
Your company ships packages of candy all over the world. If you can find the cheapest way
to package your candy, you will save money by using less foil for your packages. Your
package must be in the shape of a rectangular or square prism.
To be sure you have the packing strategy with the smallest surface area, you must try
three different ways to pack your caramels before you will receive foil. After you have
found the cheapest way to pack your caramels, you need to measure the exact amount of
foil you will need to use to create your package.
Number
of
caramels
in bottom
layer of
prism
Number
of layers
in prism
Total
number
of
caramel
cubes
(Volume)
Surface
area of
top face
of prism
Surface
area of
bottom
face of
prism
Surface
area of
front
face of
prism
Draw a diagram of the cheapest way to pack your caramels:
How much foil do you need to pack your caramels?
Surface
area of
back
face of
prism
Surface
area of
one side
of prism
Surface
area of
other
side of
prism
TOTAL
Surface
Area of
Prism