A square pyramid has side lengths each measuring 8 centimeters. The height of the pyramid is 3 centimeters. What is the lateral area of the pyramid?

Each triangular face has a slant height of 5 cm: the pyramid’s 3 cm vertical height and half the 8 cm base side form a right triangle, so √(3² + 4²) = 5. The lateral area is the sum of the four triangular faces, or ½ × (4 × 8) × 5 = 80 square centimeters. Therefore, the lateral area is 80 square centimeters.

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