Exercise · ZW-OPTIMIZATION-PROBLEMS-007 · ★★☆ Intermediate

Two positive numbers add up to 20. What is the largest possible value of their product?

Choose one option.

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  • C. \(100\)

Explanation

If the numbers are x and 20-x, the product is \(P(x)=x(20-x)\). \(P'(x)=20-2x=0\) gives x = 10, and the maximum product is \(P(10)=100\).

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Review the concept: Optimization problems

An optimization problem seeks the largest or smallest value of a quantity subject to constraints, expressed as a function of one variable.

\[\text{maximize }A(x)\ \Rightarrow\ A'(x)=0\]

More practice problems: optimization problems

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