The surface area of a cube is 96 cm^2. What is the length of its side?

The total surface area of a cube depends only on its side length: a cube has 6 identical square faces, so if the side length is s, the surface area is 6s2.

1. Let the side of the cube be s cm. Surface area = 6s2.

2. Substitute the given surface area: 6s2 = 96 cm2.

3. Divide both sides by 6: s2 = 16.

4. Take the square root of both sides (side length must be positive): s = 4 cm.

Cross-check: Substituting s = 4 cm back into 6s2 gives 6 × 16 = 96 cm2, which matches the given surface area, confirming the side length is 4 cm.