SOLUTION: A carpenter is building a rectangular room with a fixed perimeter of 312 feet, what dimension would yield the maximum area? What is the maximum area?

Question 334094: A carpenter is building a rectangular room with a fixed perimeter of 312 feet, what dimension would yield the maximum area? What is the maximum area?
Answer by jrfrunner(365) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
As a general rule, the maximum area of a rectangle will be the special case when it is a square.
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Let L=length
Let W=width
Let P=perimeter of rectangle
Let A=area of rectangle
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we know that P=2*L+2*W
and that A=L*W
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Given: P=312, find L and W such that A is maximum
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Area: A=L*W
Perimeter: 312=2*L+2*W
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312=2*L+2*W
156=L+W (divide both sides by 2 to simplify)
L=156-W (solve for L)
A=L*W=(156-W)*W (substitute for L)
(distribute W)
(rearrange and factor out -1)
(complete the square by adding and subtracting )

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This is a parabola with vertex at (78,-6084)
Since the leading coefficient of the square term is negative, the curve turns downward, thus this is a maximum.
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Therefore W=78 is the maximum. And since L=156-W=156-78=78
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Answer: the maximum area is when L=78 and W=78 which is a square.

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