Final answer:
To calculate the surface area of a cube with 3 cm long edges, you multiply the area of one face (9 cm²) by the total number of faces (6), resulting in a surface area of 54 cm².
Step-by-step explanation:
The surface area of a cube is calculated by finding the area of one of its faces and then multiplying it by the number of faces on the cube. A cube has 6 faces, and each face is a square with equal-length sides. To find the area of one square face, we use the formula Area = side × side or A = s², where s is the length of the side of the cube. Since the side length is given as 3 cm, the area of one face is 3 cm × 3 cm, which equals 9 cm². Multiplying this by the total number of faces on the cube (which is 6), we get the total surface area, which is 9 cm² × 6 = 54 cm².
So, the surface area of a cube that has edges 3 centimeters long is 54 square centimeters (Option D).