SOLUTION: If a farmer had 40 meters of fencing and he plans to use it to make a rectangle cow pen.what is all the possible lengths and breadths he could choose - keeping to a whole number of

Algebra ->  Coordinate Systems and Linear Equations  -> Linear Equations and Systems Word Problems -> SOLUTION: If a farmer had 40 meters of fencing and he plans to use it to make a rectangle cow pen.what is all the possible lengths and breadths he could choose - keeping to a whole number of      Log On


   

Question 1048872: If a farmer had 40 meters of fencing and he plans to use it to make a rectangle cow pen.what is all the possible lengths and breadths he could choose - keeping to a whole number of metres.
Which possibility gives the farmer the greatest area?
Answer by Fombitz(32388) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
So you know that the perimeter of the rectangle has to equal the amount of fencing,
2W%2B2L=40
W%2BL=20
and you know that the area of a rectangle is,
A=W%2AL
So set up a procedure to create a list of values, choose W, solve for L, calculate the area, A.
You know that W and L have to be non-zero and whole numbers so,
W=1
1%2BL=20
L=19
A=1%2A19=19
W=1,L=19,A=19
Now increment W.
W=2
2%2BL=20
L=18
A=2%2A18=36
W=2,L=18,A=36
Incremenet again,
W=3
3%2BL=20
L=17
A=3%2A17=51
W=3,L=17,A=51
Continue this way until you cannot (eventually L=0 will signal it's time to stop).