Name: mussawar
Who is asking: Other
Level of the question: Secondary
Question: hi
find the lengths of the sides of a variable rectangle having area 36 cm2 when its perimeter is minimum i do not want solution of this question. i would like to know what is mean by variable rectangle.and what is difference between rectangle and variable rectangle.also what is mean by when its perimeter is minimum.
thanks
Mussawar,
By a variable rectangle having area 36 cm2 the textbook author is asking you to consider all possible rectangles with area 36 cm2 . If such a rectangle is x cm by y cm then al you know is that
x
y = 36
You might have x = y = 6, x = 12 and y = 3, x = 1 and y = 36, x = 72 and y = 1/2... There are may such choices for x and y. If a rectangle has side lengths x cm and y cm then the perimeter is
2(x + y) cm.
The question is then, if a rectangle has side lengths x cm and y cm and x y = 36 what are the values of x and y that make 2(x + y) as small as possible, that is a minimum.
Penny