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Puzzle for December 29, 2008

Welcome Back!! I hope Santa was good to you!

I got a cool gift in a box that was 8 inches high. The lid measured 5 inches by 7 inches. If the wrapping paper fit the box exactly, how much wrapping paper did Santa need for my gift?

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The Solution

The question really wants to know the surface area of my gift box.

  • The lid (and the bottom of the box) is 5 * 7 = 35 (* 2 since there's two sides) = 70 square inches.
  • The sides are each 8 inches tall and 5 inches deep so 8 * 5 = 40 (* 2 since there's two sides) = 80 square inches.
  • The front and back are each 8 inches tall and 7 inches wide so 8 * 7 = 56 (* 2 since there's two sides) = 112 square inches.

    • Add them all up 112 + 80 + 70 = 262 square inches.

    Santa needed 262 square inches (nearly 2 square feet) of wrapping paper for my gift's box.
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