2002 AMC 8 Problem 22

Attempt Problem 22 of the 2002 AMC 8 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2002 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

22.

Six cubes, each an inch on an edge, are fastened together, as shown. Find the total surface area in square inches. Include the top, bottom, and sides.
1818
2424
2626
3030
3636
Answer: C
Concepts:surface area3D geometry
Small hint:
Start with 66 separate cubes, each with 66 exposed faces.
Big hint:
Each glued pair of faces removes two exposed faces.
Solution:
We can count the number of unexposed faces to find how many faces contribute to the surface area.
Three cubes have 11 face unexposed, two cubes have 22 faces unexposed, and one cube has 33 faces unexposed.
This gives us a total of 3⋅1+2⋅2+1⋅3=10 3 \cdot 1 + 2 \cdot 2 + 1 \cdot 3 = 10 unexposed faces, which gives us 6⋅6−10=36−10 6 \cdot 6 - 10 = 36 - 10 =26= 26 exposed faces.
Each exposed face contributes 12=11^2 = 1 to the surface area, for a total surface area of 1⋅26=26.1 \cdot 26 = 26.
Thus, C is the correct answer.
LIVE by Po-Shen Loh
Programs

LIVE Classes

Self-Paced Classes

Stars

Scholarship

About Us

Who Is Po-Shen Loh?

Email Contact

Newsletter

Jobs

Become a Star

For a more Thought Full world.

© 2026 Expii, Inc.