We need to enclose a field with a rectangular fence. We have 500 ft of fencing material and a building is on one side of the field and so won’t need any fencing. Determine the dimensions of the field that will enclose the largest area.
Solution: We first draw a picture that illustrates the general case:
The next step is to create a corresponding mathematical model: Maximize: A = xy
Constraint: x + 2y = 500
We now solve the second equation for x and substitute the result into the first equation to
express A as a function of one variable:
x+2y=500 =⇒ x=500−2y =⇒ A=xy=(500−2y)y=500y−2y2
To find the absolute maximum value of A = 500y − 2y2, we use the Closed Interval Method. We first note that 0 ≤ y ≤ 250. The derivative of A(y) is
A′(y) = (500y − 2y2)′ = 500y′ − 2(y2)′ = 500 − 4y so to find the critical numbers we solve the equation
500−4y=0 =⇒ 500=4y =⇒ y=500=125 4
To find the maximum value of A(y) we evaluate it at the end points and critical number: A(0)=0, A(125)=500·125−2·1252 =31,250, A(250)=0
The Closed Interval Method gives the maximum value as A(125) = 31, 250 ft2 and the dimen- sions are y = 125 ft, x = 500 − 2 · 125 = 250 ft.