The surface area of a cube-shaped gift box can be represented by the function A(s) = 6s2, where s is the side length of the box in inches. What does the constant in the function A(s) represent?

A cube has 6 square faces, and each face has area s². Multiplying s² by 6 gives the total surface area, so the constant 6 represents the number of faces on the box. The correct choice is “the number of faces on the box.”

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