What is the surface area of a cube with a side length of 4 cm?

To find the surface area of a cube, the formula used is ( S = 6s^2 ), where ( S ) represents the surface area and ( s ) is the length of one side of the cube. In this case, the side length is given as 4 cm.

First, calculate the area of one face of the cube: [

s^2 = 4 , \text{cm} \times 4 , \text{cm} = 16 , \text{cm}^2 ]

Since a cube has six identical faces, you multiply the area of one face by six to find the total surface area: [ S = 6 \times 16 , \text{cm}^2 = 96 , \text{cm}^2 ]

Therefore, the surface area of the cube is 96 cm², making this the correct answer. This formula effectively accounts for all the faces of the cube, and the calculation confirms that each dimension is being considered appropriately. The other choices represent potential miscalculations or different geometric interpretations, but they do not follow the correct application of the formula for determining a cube's surface area.