Joylin must stack 3 blocks identical to the one shown below.

A rectangular prism with a length of 8 inches, width of 5 inches, and height of 6 inches.

What strategy for stacking the blocks will produce a stack with the least surface area?
Create a stack where the 5-inch-by-6-inch faces of the blocks touch.
Create a stack where the 5-inch-by-8-inch faces of the blocks touch.
Create a stack where the 6-inch-by-8-inch faces of the blocks touch.

Question

Joylin must stack 3 blocks identical to the one shown below.

A rectangular prism with a length of 8 inches, width of 5 inches, and height of 6 inches.

What strategy for stacking the blocks will produce a stack with the least surface area?
Create a stack where the 5-inch-by-6-inch faces of the blocks touch.
Create a stack where the 5-inch-by-8-inch faces of the blocks touch.
Create a stack where the 6-inch-by-8-inch faces of the blocks touch.

Mercury · Answer

thoughts? notice how, when you put sides facing each other in a stack of cubes, the sides facing each other do not get included in the surface area since they're not part of the outer surface anymore

with that being said, the least surface area ---> have the biggest faces touch