Surface area of the sphere S = 616 cm² and the value of $\pi$ is 22/7.

Since the formula involves $4 \times \frac{22}{7} \times r^2$, look for a radius $r$ such that $r^2$ is divisible by 7. For $r=7$, $r^2=49$, which cancels the 7 in the denominator perfectly.

Students often confuse the surface area of a sphere $4 \pi r^2$ with the curved surface area of a hemisphere $2 \pi r^2$ or the area of a circle $\pi r^2$.

This concept is fundamental for volume problems. Remember that if surface area is given, always find the radius $r$ first to calculate the volume using $V = \frac{4}{3} \pi r^3$.