MAC1147 NOTES Professor Blanchette

3.6, 4.4 Math Modeling

Example: A wire 10 m long is to be cut into two pieces. One piece will be shaped as an
equilateral triangle and the other as a circle. (a) Express the total area enclosed by these pieces as
a function of the length of a side of the equilateral triangle. (b) What is the domain of this
function? (c) For what length of the side will total enclosed area be smallest?
x x
Sketch the situation:
Length of wire: 10 m x
Cut into two pieces. Shape one of the pieces into an equilateral triangle and
Shape the other into a circle.
Thus, the sum of the perimeter of the triangle and the circumference of the circle is 10 m.

Goal for part (a): Express total enclosed area as a function of the length of a side of the
equilateral triangle.
Think: Total enclosed area = area of the equilateral triangle + area of the circle

Define variables:
Let A = total enclosed area, = area of the equilateral triangle, = area of the circle
Let x = length of one side of the triangle

Capture relationships
Since the length of one side of the equilateral triangle is x, then 3x = the perimeter of the triangle
Since total wire length is 10 m, we can say that the circumference of the circle is 10 3x.

Formulas that Apply:

3 3
Area of an Equilateral Triangle: = 2 Customized: = 2
4 4

Area of a Circle: = 2 Customized: = 2

Circumference of Circle: = 2r Customized: 10 3 = 2r
103 103 2
Solving for r: = therefore = [ ]
2 2
MAC1147 NOTES Professor Blanchette

Create Model:

A = + Total enclosed area is the sum of the areas of these two shapes

3 2 103 2
A(x) = + [ ] Simplify this now
4 2

3 1
A(x) = 2 + [10 3 ]2 Expand the Binomial Squared part
4 4
3 1
A(x) = 2 + [100 60 + 9 2 ] Distribute then combine like terms.
4 4
3+9 15 25
A(x) = [ ] 2 +
4

Answer: The total area enclosed by these pieces, as a function of the length of a side of the
3+9 15 25
equilateral triangle, is given by A(x) = [ ] 2 + .
4

Question for part (b): What is the domain of this function? (That is, what is the feasible
domain?)

Think: The input variable in this function is x and x represents length. In particular, x represents
the length of one side of the equilateral triangle. Since the total length of the wire is 10 m, and
the equilateral triangle uses 3x of this wire, then there must be some wire left to make the circle
shape. This tells us that 3x must be less than 10, so 3x < 10 holds. Which leads to the
10
requirement that x < 3 . Certainly, the measure of x > 0 must hold since length is never

negative and if x is 0 we have no wire!

10 10 10
Conclusion: 0 < x < which is the interval (0, ). Note that 3.33
3 3 3

10
Answer: The domain of this function is { |0 < < }
3

2
MAC1147 NOTES Professor Blanchette

Question for part (c): For what length of the side will total enclosed area be smallest?
Think: we want smallest possible total enclosed area.

Goal: Minimize the area function

3+9 15 25 10
A(x) = [ ] 2 + ,0 <<
4 3
3+9
This is a quadratic function with a positive lead coefficient: [ ] approx. 1.1492
4
This means we have a parabola which faces upwards. The absolute minimum value will occur at

the vertex (h, k). We can use the formula h = to find the x coordinate of the vertex. Thus,
2
15
the absolute minimum value for the total enclosed area occurs when x = for b = and
2
3+9 15
a=[ ] Note that b becomes . Also, notice that division by 2a is the same as
4
multiplication by the reciprocal of 2a.
15 1 4
x= ( )[ ] use a calculator to get x approximately equal to 2.07736.
2 3+9
Since 2.07736 is in the feasible domain (0, 3.33) we can use it.

Answer: Total area will be smallest if the length of one side of the equilateral triangle is
approximately 2.08 m.