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We have to solve this problem using only what we learned in calculus (no linear

ID: 1943117 • Letter: W

Question

We have to solve this problem using only what we learned in calculus (no linear programming)
I attached a picture to help :)

A farmer wants to build a rectangular pen. He has a barn wall 40 feet long, some or all of which must be used for all or part of one side of the pen. In other words, with f feet of of fencing material, he can build a pen with a perimeter of up to f 40 feet, and remember he isn't required to use all 40 feet.
What is the maximum possible area for the pen if 100 feet of fencing is available?

MY ATTEMPTED SOLUTION
I attempted to solve by finding the critical points of the derivative:
2x y=100 --> y=100-2x
x(100-2x)=100x-2x^2
f'(x)=100-4x
100-4x=0 --> x=25
2(25) y=100 --> y=50
A=1250

BUT I realize this is wrong because if y=50, then the side of the barn needs an extra 10 feet, but all of the fencing material has been used by the other 3 sides. Help please? (p.s. I know the answer is 30 by 40, I figured it out using LP but was told I'm not allowed to do it this way)

Explanation / Answer

For 100 ft of fencing material, P=> 2x+y=100 => y=100-2x A=> xy=100x-2x^2 working through this, I end up with x=25, y=50 => A=1250 sq ft

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