The volume of a cube is 216 cm³. What is its total surface area?

36 cm²Correct answerYour answer144 cm²Correct answerYour answer216 cm²Correct answerYour answer432 cm²Correct answerYour answer

Show the answer and explanation

CorrectNot quiteAnswer C

Correct answer: C

The volume of a cube is $a^3$ , so $a^3 = 216$ and the edge is $a = 6$ cm.
A cube has six identical square faces, each of area $a^2 = 36$ cm².
The total surface area is $6 \times 36 = 216$ cm².

Worth noting

The surface area comes out numerically equal to the volume. That is a coincidence of this particular edge length, not a rule, and the units differ: cm² against cm³. A cube of edge 6 is the only one for which it happens.

Concept: Volume and surface area of a cube
Typical timeTypical: 70 s
Your timeYours: —

The rule this testsCubes and cuboids

Practise this chapter →

Ten questions from Mensuration: Areas and Volumes, at your own pace.

The volume of a cube is 216 cm³. What is its total surface area?

Explanation