Space Shapes and Surface Area
Products in today’s world are packaged in many different ways. A beautifully designed
package can attract a person’s eye and cause them to buy it. Stores are filled with boxes, cans,
bags, and bottles.
1. Baseballs, basketballs, and soccer balls are packaged in boxes of various shapes and sizes.
a. What are the general shapes of these boxes called?
b. Why do you think they are packaged this way?
2. Caned foods, salt, oatmeal, and tuna are items that are usually sold in rounded packages.
a. What are these space shapes called?
b. Why do you think these items are packaged in these types of containers?
2. Using the real-life package provided for you, cut along the edges so that the shape is flat.
a. Sketch the flattened pattern you found after cutting. This flat shape that folds up into a
three-dimensional shape is called a net for the space-shape.
b. Take a marker and draw a line at each place the net could be folded. What do you
notice about your space-shape when it is flat?
c. List the names of the shapes or faces that make up your net?
d. Which same sized shapes appear more than once in your net? Why?
e. Using a ruler, find and label the dimensions (length and width) of each shape that you
see in the net.
f. What is the area of each face of the space-shape? Write the value in the center of each
face.
g. Surface area is the total area of all the faces. What is the surface area of your box?
How did you determine your answer?
4. The net for a box of popcorn is shown below.
a. What is the name of the space-shape it represents?
b. If the box were put back together, which faces do you think would be the top and the
bottom?
c. The lengths of some edges of the box are labeled. Label the dimensions of each face.
d. What is the surface area of the cereal box? _______________ How did you determine your
answer?
3. Find the surface area of the following nets and name the three-dimensional figure it will
make.
a. Surface Area: ____________________
Name: ____________________________
b. Surface Area: ____________________
Name: ____________________________
10 in.
7 in.
2 in.
4. Draw the net of the following space shape then find its surface area and name.
a. Net:
Name: _______________________________ Surface Area: ______________________________
b. Net:
Name: ________________________________ Surface Area: ______________________________
Space Shapes and Surface Area (Answer Key)
Products in today’s world are packaged in many different ways. A beautifully designed
package can attract a person’s eye and cause them to buy it. Stores are filled with boxes, cans,
bags, and bottles.
0. Baseballs, basketballs, and soccer balls are packaged in boxes of various shapes and sizes.
a. What are the general shapes of these boxes called?
Cubes
b. Why do you think they are packaged this way?
Easier to stack
1. Caned foods, salt, oatmeal, and tuna are items that are usually sold in rounded packages.
a. What are these space shapes called?
Cylinders
b. Why do you think these items are packaged in these types of containers?
Liquids or fluids
3. Using the real-life package provided for you, cut along the edges so that the shape is flat.
a. Sketch the flattened pattern you found after cutting. This flat shape that folds up into a
three-dimensional shape is called a net for the space-shape.
Answers will vary
b. Take a marker and draw a line at each place the net could be folded. What do you
notice about your space-shape when it is flat?
Made of rectangles – some are the same size (may want to ask students to label the
same size sides with matching letters)
c. List the names of the shapes or faces that make up your net?
Rectangles (possible that some of the faces may be squares)
d. Which same sized shapes appear more than once in your net? Why?
Top and Bottom, front and back, left and right
These are parallel faces and are congruent in a prism
e. Using a ruler, find and label the dimensions (length and width) of each shape that you
see in the net.
Answers will vary (be sure students include a unit with each number; may want to
measure to the nearest whole centimeter) Note that the parallel edges will have the
same measurement.
f. What is the area of each face of the space-shape? Write the value in the center of each
face.
Answers will vary (be sure students include a unit squared) Note that students may
need a review of area as the number of squares to cover a surface.
g. Surface area is the total area of all the faces. What is the surface area of your box?
How did you determine your answer?
Answers will vary. Surface area is found by adding the area of each of the faces.
4. The net for a box of popcorn is shown below.
a. What is the name of the space-shape it represents?
Rectangular prism
b. If the box were put back together, which faces do you think would be the top and the
bottom?
The side with dimensions 3in. by 6 in. would be the top and bottom of the box.
c. The lengths of some edges of the box are labeled. Label the dimensions of each face.
d. What is the surface area of the cereal box? 306 in2 How did you determine your
answer?
I found my answer by finding the area of each of the rectangles (faces) and adding the
sums together.
90 in2 + 90 in2 + 45 in2 + 45 in2 + 18 in2 + 18 in2
5. Find the surface area of the following nets and name the three-dimensional figure it will
make.
a. Surface Area: 1800 cm2
Name: Rectangular prism
b. Surface Area: 208 in2
Name: Rectangular prism
10 in.
7 in.
2 in.
6. Draw the net of the following space shape then find its surface area and name.
a. Net:
2 yd
2 yd
2 yd
This is one possible net. Be sure dimensions are labeled.
Name: Cube
Surface Area:
24 yd2___
b. Net:
6 ft
6 ft
2 ft
2 ft
This is one possible net. Be sure dimensions are labeled.
Name: Rectangular prism
Surface Area: 152 ft2