Math Problem Statement

A box with no top will be made by cutting square of equal size out of the corners of a 33 inch by 58 in rectangular piece of cardboard then folding the side flaps up. Find the maximum volume of such a box

Solution

To find the maximum volume of the open-top box made from the cardboard, we'll first define the variables and formulate the problem mathematically.

  1. Let xx be the side length of the square cut from each corner.

  2. After cutting out these squares, the dimensions of the base of the box will be: Length=582x\text{Length} = 58 - 2x Width=332x\text{Width} = 33 - 2x

  3. The height of the box will be xx.

  4. The volume VV of the box can be expressed as: V=Length×Width×Height=(582x)(332x)xV = \text{Length} \times \text{Width} \times \text{Height} = (58 - 2x)(33 - 2x)x

  5. Volume Function: V=(582x)(332x)x=4x3182x2+1914xV = (58 - 2x)(33 - 2x)x = 4x^3 - 182x^2 + 1914x

  6. Finding the Maximum Volume: To find the maximum volume, we need to find the critical points by taking the derivative of VV with respect to xx and setting it equal to zero:

    dVdx=12x2364x+1914=0\frac{dV}{dx} = 12x^2 - 364x + 1914 = 0

    Solving this quadratic equation will give us the values of xx at which the volume could be maximized.

  7. Calculating Critical Points: Let's solve this equation to find the critical points.The critical points for the volume function are:

x=91253965.96x = \frac{91 - \sqrt{2539}}{6} \approx 5.96 x=91+2539626.04x = \frac{91 + \sqrt{2539}}{6} \approx 26.04

Given the constraints of the box, xx must be less than half of the smaller dimension of the cardboard, which is 332=16.5\frac{33}{2} = 16.5. Therefore, only the first critical point x5.96x \approx 5.96 is within the acceptable range.

  1. Calculating Maximum Volume: Let's compute the volume at x5.96x \approx 5.96.The maximum volume of the box is approximately 5857.355857.35 cubic inches when the square cut-out size is about 6.776.77 inches.

Would you like further details on this solution or have any specific questions?

Related Questions:

  1. How do you determine if a critical point is a maximum or minimum?
  2. What are the constraints on the value of xx for this problem?
  3. How would the solution change if the cardboard had a different dimension?
  4. Can you show the complete calculation for the critical point derivation?
  5. What happens to the volume if you cut squares larger than 16.516.5 inches?

Tip: Always verify that the critical points fall within the physical constraints of the problem before concluding they are maxima or minima.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Optimization
Algebra
Derivatives

Formulas

Volume of the box: V = (58 - 2x)(33 - 2x)x
Derivative of volume: dV/dx = 12x^2 - 364x + 1914
Quadratic equation for critical points

Theorems

Optimization using derivatives
Quadratic equation for finding critical points

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 10-12