Claire and Chad want to design a rectangular pen for their new puppy. They want the pen to have

Question

an area of 48 square feet. Fencing costs $0.85 per foot.
b. What are the dimensions and the cost of the most expensive pen Claire and Chad could
build, assuming the side lengths are whole numbers? Explain.

Answer 1

a rectangle with equal sides (a square)
... encloses the most area with the least fencing

the most fencing (with integer side lengths)
... would be a rectangle 48 feet long and one foot wide