Sacred Heart Central School

Maxima & Minima Word problems

Mathematics
Class : 12

Roll No. : Time -

Date : MM - 366

1. An open tank with a square base and vertical sides is to be constructed from a metal sheet so as 6
to hold a given quantity of water. Show that the cost of the material will be the least when the depth
of the tank is half of its width.

2. A wire of length 28 metres is to be cut into two pieces. One of the pieces is to be made into a 6
circle and the other into a square. What should be the length of the two pieces so that the
combined area of the square and the circle is minimum?

3. Show that the volume of the greatest cylinder which can be inscribed in a cone of height h and 6

semi-vertical angle 30° is h3 .

4. Show that the height of the right circular cylinder of maximum volume that can be inscribed in a 6

given right circular cone of height h is .

5. 6

Find the area of the greatest isosceles triangle that can be inscribed in a given ellipse
= 1 with its vertex coinciding with one extremity of the major axis.

6. A point on the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle is at distance a and b from the sides. Show 6
that the maximum length of the hypotenuse is (a2/3 + b2/3)3/2.

7. A rectangle is inscribed in a semicircle of radius r with one of its sides on the diameter of the 6
semicircle. Find the dimensions of the rectangle, so that its area is maximum. Also find maximum
area.

8. A given quantity of metal is to be cast into a half cylinder with a rectangular base and 6
semicircular ends. Show that in order that total surface area is minimum, the ratio of length of
cylinder to the diameter of its semicircular ends is π : (π + 2).

9. If the sum of a side and the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle be given, show that the area of 6
the triangle will be maximum if the angle between the given side and the hypotenuse be 60°.

10. Show that the rectangle of maximum area that can be inscribed in a circle of radius r is a square 6
of side r.

11. Show that the semi-vertical angle of a right circular cone of given total surface area and 6

maximum volume is sin–1 .

12. A tank with rectangular base and rectangular sides, open at the top is to be constructed so that 6
its depth is 2 m and volume is 8 m3. If building of tank costs 70 per sq metre for the base and
45 per sq metre for sides, what is the cost of least expensive tank?

13. Given the sum of the perimeters of a square and a circle, show that the sum of their areas is 6
least when the side of the square is equal to the diameter of a circle.

14. The lengths of the sides of an isosceles triangle are 9 + x2, 9 + x2 and 18 – 2x2 units. Calculate 6
the area of the triangle in terms of x and find the value of x which makes the area maximum.

15. A window has the shape of a rectangle surmounted by an equilateral triangle. If the perimeter of 6
the window is 12 m, find the dimensions of the rectangle that will produce the largest area of the
window.

16. 6

Find the area of the greatest rectangle that can be inscribed in an ellipse .

17. Find the altitude of a right circular cone of maximum curved surface which can be inscribed in a 6
sphere of radius r.

18. Find the points of local maxima and local minima, if any, of the function f(x) = 3x4 – 2x3 – 6x2 + 6
6x + 1 Also, find the local maximum and local minimum value.

19. Find the local maxima and local minima, if any of the function f, given by f(x) = sin x + cos x, 0 < x 6

< .

20. Show that the right circular cone of least curved surface and given volume has an altitude equal 6
to times the radius of the base.

21. 6
Prove that the volume of the largest cone that can be inscribed in a sphere of radius R is of
the volume of the sphere.

22. Show that volume of greatest cylinder which can be inscribed in a cone of height h and 6

semivertical angle α is πh3 tan2 α.

23. If the length of three sides of a trapezium other than the base are equal to 10 cm, then find the 6
maximum area of the trapezium.

24. A window is in the form of a rectangle surmounted by a semicircular opening. The total 6
perimeter of the window is 10 metres. Find the dimensions of the window so as to admit maximum
light through the whole opening.

25. Show that the height of a closed right circular cylinder of given surface and maximum volume is 6
equal to the diameter of the base.
26. An open box with a square base is to be made of a given quantity of metal sheet of area c2. 6

Show that the maximum volume of the box is cubic units.

27. Find the sides of a rectangle of the greatest area that can be inscribed in the ellipse x2 + 4y2 = 6
16.

28. A square tank of capacity of 250 cu metres has to be dug out. The cost of land is 50 per sq 6
metre. The cost of digging increases with the depth and cost for the whole tank is 400 (depth)2
rupees. Find the dimensions of the tank for the least cost.

29. A jet of an enemy is flying along the curve y = x2 + 2. A soldier is placed at the point (3, 2). What 6
is the nearest distance between the soldier and the jet ?

30. At what point, the slope of the curve y = – x3 + 3x2 + 9x – 27 is maximum? Also find the 6
maximum slope.

31. Prove that, the radius of the right circular cylinder of greatest curved surface which can be 6
inscribed in a given cone, is half of that of the cone.

32. An isosceles triangle of vertical angle 2θ is inscribed in a circle of radius a. Show that the area of 6

triangle is maximum when .

33. Find the minimum value of (ax + by), where xy = c2. 6

34. Of all the closed right circular cylindrical cans of volume 128π cm3, find the dimensions of the 6
can which has the minimum surface area.

35. Show that the semi-vertical angle of the cone of the maximum volume and of given slant height 6

is cos–1 .

36. Show that the semi-vertical angle of the cone of maximum volume and of given slant height is 6

tan–1

37. Find the shortest distance of the point (0, c) from the parabola y = x2, where 0 ≤ c ≤ 5. 6

38. Show that the right circular cylinder of given volume open at the top has minimum total surface 6
area, provided its height is equal to radius of its base.

39. Show that the height h of a right circular cylinder of maximum total surface area including the 6

two ends that can be inscribed in a sphere of radius r is given by h2 = 2r2 .