Understanding 3D Shapes Through Nets

Every 3D shape you see is just a flat 2D pattern folded up. Think about a cardboard

box. If you unfold it, you get this flat shape called a net. It's literally the

skin of the 3D object. And here's the cool part: the total area of that flat net is the exact

same as the surface area of the original shape. So for a cube, you just find the

area of one square face and multiply it by six. For a cylinder, it's two circles

and one big rectangle. It’s like having a secret blueprint for every object.