Question

A farmer plans to enclose a rectangular pasture adjacent to a river (see figure). the pasture must contain 20,000 square meters in order to provide enough grass for the herd. no fencing is needed along the river. what dimensions will require the least amount of fencing?

Answer 1

Perpendicular to River = 100
Parallel to River = 200

Total Amount of Fencing = 400

*This specific problem, which shows up often, always has a side ratio of 1:2 when minimising fencing (or maximising area).