A cube has a lateral area of 9 square centimeters. What is the length of each edge of the cube?

A cube’s lateral area is the area of its four side faces, so it equals 4s², where s is the edge length. Set 4s² = 9, giving s² = 2.25 and s = 1.5 cm. The edge length is 1.5 cm; choices with cm² give area units, not length units.

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