View Full Version : calculus optimization problem
thegame
Dec20-03, 02:45 PM
What is the area of the largest rectangle that can be inscribes indiside a semicircle with the radius r?
answer: x = r / SQRT(2)
A = r^2
Is there a question here?
thegame
Dec20-03, 05:34 PM
How do you ge the answer?
How did YOU get the answer?
Well, if you know one side of a rectangle inscribed in a semicircle, can you figure out the other side?
What Hurkyl's getting at is:
Draw the semicircle. Draw a rectangle inside it, call one side h, call the other side w, call the radius r.
Now find a relationship that lets you eliminate either h or w. In other words, express h as a function of w, or w as a function of h.
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