A rancher wants to fence in an area of 1000000 square feet in a rectangular field and then divide it in half with a fence down the middle parallel to one side. What is the shortest length of fence that the rancher can use?

Question

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

can you please tell me how you calculate area?

anonymous · Answer

is area base*height

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

good(can also say length times width), now, if your area=1,000,000, what is the absolute smallest number and the absolute biggest number you can multiply together and get 1,000,000?

anonymous · Answer

1 and 1,000,000?

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

yup

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

so now can you draw a representative rectangle and label the sides?

anonymous · Answer

I'm sorry I'm taking so long it keeps saying i lost connection overtime I'm about to insert my pic!!

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

ah it's ok, happens all the time

anonymous · Answer

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anonymous · Answer

YAY hows that?

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

good, so now, do you know what parallel means?

anonymous · Answer

yes i do

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

ok, fill me in then

anonymous · Answer

okay!

anonymous · Answer

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fibonaccichick666 · Answer

Can you explain what you did and why?

anonymous · Answer

i put 1 on the opposite side of 1 because they are parallel and i did the same with 1,000,000

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

ok, so, that is correct(in it's own sort of way), but not what I was hinting at.  I mean what does it mean to be parallel?

anonymous · Answer

ahh well the lines will never touch each other because they are parallel?

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

ok that works, so if there is a line that divides the rectangle in half, and we want it as small as possible, where will it be?  (You can draw it in)

anonymous · Answer

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anonymous · Answer

im not sure if this is right...

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

well, how long will that line be?

fibonaccichick666 · Answer

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