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Optimization Problems in Calculus: Solve in Easy Steps

Optimization problems in calculus involve determining the optimal or best value of a quantity given certain constraints. For example, finding the maximum area of a rectangle given a fixed perimeter. Solving these problems generally involves 5 steps: 1) define the function to optimize, 2) identify constraints, 3) express the function in terms of a single variable using the constraints, 4) take the derivative of the function, 5) set the derivative equal to zero and solve for the optimal variable value, then 6) calculate the optimal value of the original function. A sample problem demonstrates maximizing the area of a rectangle with a 100m perimeter.

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28 views1 page

Optimization Problems in Calculus: Solve in Easy Steps

Optimization problems in calculus involve determining the optimal or best value of a quantity given certain constraints. For example, finding the maximum area of a rectangle given a fixed perimeter. Solving these problems generally involves 5 steps: 1) define the function to optimize, 2) identify constraints, 3) express the function in terms of a single variable using the constraints, 4) take the derivative of the function, 5) set the derivative equal to zero and solve for the optimal variable value, then 6) calculate the optimal value of the original function. A sample problem demonstrates maximizing the area of a rectangle with a 100m perimeter.

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Optimization Problems in Calculus: Solve in Easy Steps

Optimization problems in calculus often involve the determination of the optimal (meaning, the best) value
of a quantity. For instance, we might want to know the biggest area that a piece of rope could be tied around.
Or how high a ball could go before it falls back to the ground. Or at which point of a loop does a roller coaster
run the slowest. Very often, the optimization must be done with certain constraints. In the case of the rope,
were limited by its length. These constraints are usually very helpful to solve optimization problems. Optimal
values are often either the maximum or the minimum values of a certain function.

Optimization Problems in Calculus: Steps.


Sample problem: Find the maximum area of a rectangle whose perimeter is 100 meters. (Note: This is a typical
optimization problem in AP calculus).

Step 1: Determine the function that you need to optimize. In the sample problem, we need to optimize the
area A of a rectangle, which is the product of its length L and width W. Our function in this example is A = LW.

Step 2: Identify the constraints to the optimization problem. In our sample problem, the perimeter of the
rectangle must be 100 meters. This will be useful in the next step.

Step 3: Express that function in terms of a single variable upon which it depends, using algebra. For this
example, were going to express the function in a single variable. L.
1. A rectangles perimeter is the sum of its sides, that is, 100m = 2L + 2W.
2. Subtract 2L from both sides of this equation, 2W = 100m 2L.
3. Divide each side by 2: W = 50m L.
4. Substitute 50m L for W in A = LW: A = L (50m L) = 50m L L.

Step 4: Calculate the derivative of the function with respect to a variable. The derivative dA/dL = 50m (1) L(1-1)
2 L(2-1) = 50m 2L.

Step 5: Set the function to zero and compute the corresponding variables value. For our sample problem, we
set dA/dL = 0 = 50m 2L. So L = 25m.

Step 6: Use the value from Step 5 to calculate the corresponding optimal value of the function. In our sample
problem, A = 50m L L = 50 m (25m) (25m) = 625 m.
Thats how to solve optimization problems in calculus!

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