The cube below is divided into 8 equal cubes and broken apart. what is the total surface area of all 8 cubes

The area of a cube is A = 6L^2. A=surface area, L = edge length

The total area is 6 (2L^2) - - - > 12L^2. Because when we place the 8 cubes (use 4 cubes to make a square then stack another 4 cube square) to form the original, the small cube's edge (length) is doubled.