Question

How do you find ratio of surface area to volume in a rectangular prism?

Answer 1

Divide the Surface Area by the Volume

Explanation:

Dimensions of the rectangular prism

Width = w
Height = h
Length = l

surface area (S) = `2*h*l + 2*h*w+2*l*w`

volume (V) = `h*l*w`

Surface area to volume ratio = `S/V` = `(2(h*l+h*w+l*w))/(h*l*w)`

For a prism of width 2, length 2 and height 4
Surface area would be `2*(4+8+8)` = `40`
Volume would be `2*2*4` = `16`
`40/16 = 2.5`
The Surface area to Volume ratio would be 2.5