Grade 8 · Math

8th grade Surface area of prisms and cylinders: problems worksheet

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Surface area of prisms and cylinders: problems

Grade 8 Math Worksheet - Building Confidence

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Circle the best answer, or write your answer on the line.

Jun wraps paper around only the four sides of a storage box. Its base perimeter is 26 inches, and it is 5 inches tall. What is the lateral area, in square inches?
Kira wraps paper around only the four sides of a lunch box. Its base perimeter is 20 cm, and it is 8 cm tall. What is the lateral area, in square cm?
Milo's tent is a triangular prism 6 feet long, and its end has a perimeter of 30 feet. What is the lateral area of its three sides, in square feet?
Noah measures a shoe box. Its sides have a lateral area of 84 square inches, and each of its two bases is 18 square inches. What is its total surface area, in square inches?
Net, not to scale. Pia measures a soup can. Its sides have a lateral area of 125.6 square cm, and each of its two bases is 28.26 square cm. What is its total surface area, in square cm?
Ren measures a toy cheese wedge. Its sides have a lateral area of 168 square cm, and each of its two bases is 24 square cm. What is its total surface area, in square cm?
Tala measures a pillar candle. Its sides have a lateral area of 94.2 square cm, and each of its two bases is 28.26 square cm. What is its total surface area, in square cm?
Ari covers every face of a small wooden block, a cube with edges of 2.5 inches. Each face is a square, 2.5 by 2.5. What is its total surface area, in square inches?
Bo covers every face of a cube-shaped box, a cube with edges of 9 cm. Each face is a square, 9 by 9. What is its total surface area, in square cm?
Esme covers every face of a cube-shaped gift box, a cube with edges of 11 cm. Each face is a square, 11 by 11. What is its total surface area, in square cm?

8th grade Surface area of prisms and cylinders: problems worksheet – printable — Print: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Surface area of prisms and cylinders: problems. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

I can find the lateral area (the sides) and the total surface area (the sides plus both bases) of a box, a cube, a triangular prism and a cylinder.
I can tell whether a story needs the lateral area, the total surface area or the volume.
I can work back from a surface area to a missing height, edge or radius.

Standard: state-only (prisms: CCSS 6.G.A.4, 7.G.B.6; cylinder surface area not in CCSS K–8)

Words to know

lateral area: The area of the sides only, not the two bases.

total surface area: The sides plus both bases: every face of the outside.

base: One of the two matching ends of a prism or cylinder.

perimeter of the base: The distance around one base: the width of the unrolled sides.

net: The solid unfolded flat.

Common mistakes

Your child added the two bases when only the sides were asked. Lateral area is the sides alone; total surface area adds the two bases.

Your child counted only the sides when the whole outside was asked. Total surface area adds both bases to the sides.

Your child added the perimeter and the height. The sides unroll into a rectangle: its area is its width times its height.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with surface area of prisms and cylinders: problems?

Your child added the two bases when only the sides were asked. Lateral area is the sides alone; total surface area adds the two bases.

Are these 8th grade math worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 math

See all grade 8 math

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