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ExamsGATEGeneral Aptitude

A wire of length 340 mm is to be cut into two parts. One part is to be made into a square and the other into a rectangle whose sides are in the ratio $1:2$. What should be the side of the square (in mm) so that the combined area of the square and the rectangle is minimum?

  1. 30
  2. 40
  3. 120
  4. 180

Correct answer: 120

Solution

Let the square side be $x$ mm, so its perimeter is $4x$. The remaining wire is $340-4x$, which forms a rectangle with sides in ratio $1:2$, so its sides are $a$ and $2a$ with perimeter $6a=340-4x$. Writing total area and minimizing it gives the optimal $x=120$ mm.

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