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

1 Answer
Feb 29, 2016

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