The base of a prism has \( n \) sides. \( \begin{array}{l}\text { a. How many lateral faces does it have? } \\ \text { b. How many faces does it have? }\end{array} \) \( \begin{array}{l}\text { a. The prism has } \square \text { lateral faces. } \\ \text { (Type an expression using } n \text { as the variable.) }\end{array} \)

To find the number of lateral faces in a prism, we note that a prism consists of two parallel bases and rectangular lateral sides connecting corresponding sides of the bases. Therefore, if the base has \( n \) sides, there will be \( n \) lateral faces. For the total number of faces, you need to consider the two bases in addition to the \( n \) lateral faces. Thus, the total number of faces will be \( n + 2 \). So, the answers are: a. The prism has \( n \) lateral faces. b. The prism has \( n + 2 \) faces.