CHAPTER THREE:

OPTIMIZATION PROBLEMS ANSWERS

QUESTION 1
2
An open rectangular rattan case with square base is to be made from 48 cm of material.
a. Find the dimension of the case that will make the volume maximum
b. Then, find the maximum volume
Answer: (a) x  4 and y  2 (b) 32cm3

QUESTION 2
3
An open box with rectangular base is to have a volume 72 ft . Its base has a length twice as long its width.
The material for the base will cost 60 cents per square foot and the sides will cost 30 cents per square
foot. Find the minimum cost of constructing the box.
Answer: RM 32.40

QUESTION 3
A window consists of a rectangle with a semicircle resting on its top. The perimeter of the window is fixed
at 20 ft.
a. If r is the radius of the semicircle and x is the height of the window, show that the area of the window A
2
ft is given by
1 2
A  20r  2r 2  r
2
b. Find the value of r which A is maximum
c. Find the maximum area.

Answer: (b) r  2.8 (c) 28 ft 2

QUESTION 4
A box with an open top is to be constructed from a square piece of cardboard, 3 ft wide, by cutting out a
square from each of the four corners and bending up the sides. Find the largest volume that such a box
can have.
Answer: 2 ft 2

QUESTION 5
Find the dimension of a rectangular field with maximum area that can be enclosed with 1000 feet of fence.
Answer: x  250ft and y  250ft
QUESTION 6
An open box is to be made from a 16 cm by 30 cm piece of cardboard by cutting out squares of equal size
from the corners and bending up the sides. What size squares should be cut to obtain a box with largest
volume?
10
Answer: x 
3

QUESTION 7
3
A closed cylindrical can of radius r and height is to have a volume of 128000 cm .
256000
a. Show that the surface area is A  2r 2 
r
b. Find the radius that minimizes the surface area.
Answer: (b) r  27.31cm

QUESTION 8
3
A closed rectangular container with a square base is to have a volume 2250 cm . The material for the top
2 2
and bottom of the container will cost RM 2 per cm and the material for the sides will cost RM 3 per cm .
Find the minimum cost of constructing the box.
Answer: RM 2700

QUESTION 9
The diagram below shows a rectangle ABDC. APB and CQD are semicircles. Given the area of ABCD is
2
200 cm .

A B
x
cm
D C

Q
200
a. Show that the perimeter of the diagram, P cm is given by P   2x
x
b. Find the minimum perimeter of the diagram
Answer: (b) 70.90cm
QUESTION 10
3
A cylindrical container with circular base is to hold 64 m . Finds its dimensions so that the amount (surface
area) of metal required is minimum when the container is
a. an open can
b. a closed can
Answer: (a) r  h  2.73 m (b) r  2.17 m, h  4.33 m

QUESTION 11
3
A closed cylindrical can is to be constructed with a volume of 16 m . Find the dimension of the can (with
radius r and height h), which will have a minimum surface area. Give your answer correct to two decimal
places.
Answer: r  1.37 m, h  2.71 m

QUESTION 12
A wire of length 100 cm must be cut into two-part L1 and L2. L1 is bent into a circle and L2 is bent into a
squares. Find L1 and L2 so that the total area enclosed by the circle and squares are minimum.

L1 L2

Answer: L1  43.98 cm, L2  56.02 cm

QUESTION 13
The diagram given is an opened-top container, full of water. The container is made up of a hemispherical
bowl of radius r, attached to the bottom of a cylinder with radius r and height h.

h
r

1 3
a. If the surface area of the container is 288 cm , show that its volume is V  144r  r . Hence,
2
3
determine r so that the volume is a maximum
b. Estimate the change in volume if r changes from 6 to 6.5 cm.
Answer: (a) r  12 cm (b) 54 cm 3
QUESTION 14
An open box is to be made from a 8 cm by 15 cm piece of metal by cutting out squares of equal size with
sides of x from the four corners and bending up the sides. Show that the volume is given by

V  120x  46x 2  4x 3 . Find the value of x, which will have a maximum volume.
5
Answer: x 
3

QUESTION 15
A cylindrical container has one end opened and the other end closed. It has a circular base of radius r cm.
Given that the total surface area of the container is 300 cm .
2

r 3
a. Show that the volume of the container V cm is V  150r 
3
2
b. Find the maximum value of V.
Answer: (b) 1000 cm 3

QUESTION 16
A designer of box making company wants to produce an open box from a piece of card with the width of 16
cm and length of 20 cm. The box is made by cutting out squares of length x at each corners. The sides of
the paper are folded up to form the box as shown in Figure 1.

20

20
a. Show that the volume of the box is V  4x 3  72x 2  320x
b. Find the value of x so that the volume of the box is maximum
c. Find the dimensions of the book so that the volume of the box is maximum
Answer: (b) x  2.945 (c) Length  14.11 cm, Width  10.11 cm
QUESTION 17
2
A poster is to have an area of 300 m with margins of 6m each at top and bottom and 2 m on the sides as
shown in Figure 1.
y

x-4
y - 12 x
2 2
6
Figure 1
1200
a. Show that the area of the printed material is A  348  12x 
x
b. Find the dimensions that will give the largest printed area
Answer: (b) x  10, y  30, Largest Area  108 cm 2

QUESTION 18
A closed can in the shape of a right circular cylinder of radius r meters and height h meter has a volume of
3
16 m .
a. Express the surface area A in terms of r
b. Find the radius of the can so that the total surfaces area shall be a minimum
32 2
Answer: (a) A  2r 2  (b) r 
r 3


QUESTION 19
A glass window frame is in the form of a rectangle at the bottom and semicircle at the top as shown in
Figure 1, has perimeter of 4m

x
Figure 1
4  2
a. Show that the area of the glass window is given by A  2x   x
 8 
b. Find the values of x and y that will maximize the area of the glass window.
c. Hence, find the maximum area of the glass window
Answer: (b) x  1.12 m, y  0.56 m (c) 1.12 m 2
QUESTION 20
Figure 2 shows a closed rectangular box. The length of the box is twice of its width. Given the total
3
volume of the box is 600 cm .

2x
Figure 2
a. Express y in terms of x
1800
b. Show that the surface area of the box is given by A  4 x 2 
x
c. Find the values of x and y for which A is minimum
d. Find the minimum surfaces area.
300
Answer: (a) 2
(c) r  6.08 cm (d) 443.92 cm 2
x

QUESTION 21
Cylindrical can of radius r cm and height h cm is to hold 100 cm of orange juice. The cost of materials
3

used for the top and bottom of the can is 4 cents per square centimeter and the cost of material used for
the curve side is 3 cents per square.
600
a. Show that the total cost (in cents) for constructing a can is C  8r 2 
r
b. Find the dimension of the can such that the total cost for constructing the can is minimum
Answer: (b) r  3.35 cm, h  8.93 m