a rancher wants to use 300 feet of fencing to enclose a rectangular area of 4400 square feet. what dimensions should the rectangle have?

1 answer

length = x
width = y

x+y = 150 , y = 150-x

xy = 4400
x(150-x) = 4400
expanding and simplifying...
x^2 - 150x + 4400 = 0
(x-110)(x-40) = 0
x = 110 or x=40

if x=110, then y = 40
if x = 40, then y = 110

the dimenstions should be 110 ft by 40 ft

check: 2(110+40) = 300
(110)(40) = 4400