Find the surface area of a sphere with a radius of 3 meters.

Step 1 ：The formula for the surface area of a sphere is \(4 \pi r^2\) where r is the radius of the sphere.

Step 2 ：Substituting the given radius into the formula, we get \(4 \pi (3)^2\).

Step 3 ：Solving the equation gives \(4 \pi \times 9 = \boxed{36 \pi}\) square meters.