Question

My question will be very simple to anyone who helps me with it. Only I don't understand it. It is simple (for most of you) 6th grade math, and I have a test on Monday. I NEED HELP!!!!!!!!

A paper die has sides that are ALL equilateral triangles. Each triangle has a side length of 1.5 cm. The slant height is 1.3 cm. Find the surface area.

Answer 1

I think that "slant height" is the length of the side of one of the triangles that make up the die.

The paper die is just a few triangles with touching sides, forming a pyramid shape. If you find the area of a single triangle, and then multiply it by the number of triangles that make up the pyramid (remember the bottom!), then you have the surface area of the die.

So, whats the area of one triangle?

How many triangles make up the die?

Answer 2

Wait, no. I misread. Hmmm. What is slant height?

Answer 3

The slant height is the black line (h) in the image below

https://vt-s3-files.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/problem_question_image/image/2271/Tetrahedron.jpg

Answer 4

the slant height is the height of a triangle- i'll send a picture

Answer 5

the arrow is pointing to the slant height

Answer 6

Alright, then. They made it very simple :)

Find the area of a triangle. Find how many triangles make up the die. Multiply the two numbers together.

Answer 7

never mind
about the picture

Answer 8

the area of one triangle is 0.975

Answer 9

i think

Answer 10

that is correct

Answer 11

there are 4 sides of this tetrahedron, so multiply that area by 4

Answer 12

so 0.975 multiplied by 4 is.......

Answer 13

i got 3.9, is that right?

Answer 14

yes it is

Answer 15

nice job

Answer 16

is that the answer, then?

Answer 17

yes, 3.9 square cm is the total surface area

Answer 18

you are a life saver!! i do have one quick question, though.

Answer 19

what's that

Answer 20

if on the test Monday, lets say there was another problem like this, only each triangle had a different height. Would i just do the same steps?

Answer 21

you would have to find the individual areas of each triangle, then add up the areas

Answer 22

multiplying by 4 only works because each face (4 total) have the same area

Answer 23

lets say there was a triangular pyramid that on the base triangle, the height is 6.1, and the base is 7, but on another triangle, it is an isocolise triangle, and it doesnt give you the height, only the base, and even by looking at it from different angles, you still cant find an angle with the right numbers to multiply. what would i do then?

Answer 24

Does that make sense?

Answer 25

If you were given a side length of a triangle and other angles, you could figure out the other sides.

However, this is something you learn down the road in a trigonometry class (and not in 6th grade math). So if they expect you to find the area of a triangle, then they should provide the base and height.

Answer 26

k. hey, thank you so much for your help!!!!

Answer 27

you're welcome