Engineering Board Exam Reviewer · Optimization (Maxima and Minima) · easy

Find two positive numbers whose sum is 20 and whose product is a maximum.

  1. 10 and 10
  2. 8 and 12
  3. 5 and 15
  4. 9 and 11

Answer

A. 10 and 10

Solution

Let y=20-x. Then P=x(20-x)=20x-x2. P'=20-2x=0 x=10, so y=10.

More Optimization (Maxima and Minima) questions

  1. A farmer has 200 m of fencing to enclose a rectangular field bordered on one side by a river (no fence is needed along the river). Find…
  2. An open-top box is made by cutting equal squares of side x from each corner of a 12 in by 12 in sheet of cardboard and folding up the…
  3. A rectangular box with a square base and no top is to have a total surface area of 108 square inches. Find the maximum possible volume.
  4. A closed cylindrical can is to have a volume of 16π cubic inches. Find the radius that minimizes the total surface area.
  5. Find the point on the line y=2x+3 that is closest to the origin.
  6. A right circular cylinder is inscribed in a sphere of radius 6. Find the height of the cylinder that maximizes its volume.
  7. A wire 100 cm long is cut into two pieces. One piece is bent into a square and the other into a circle. How many centimeters of wire…
  8. An open rectangular box with a square base is to have a volume of 32 cubic feet. Find the dimensions that minimize the amount of material…
  9. A Norman window (a rectangle surmounted by a semicircle) is to have a perimeter of 20 ft. Find the radius of the semicircle that maximizes…
  10. A cone-shaped paper cup is to hold 100 cm3 of water. Find the height that minimizes the amount of paper needed to make the cup (i.e…

All Optimization (Maxima and Minima) questions