Solving practical problems that ask us to maximize or minimize a
quantity are typically called optimization problems in calculus.
The videos on this and following pages
will illustrate different examples where we are
asked to minimize or maximize a quantity. Make sure to pay
attention to constraints that are naturally implied in the problem and
to follow the strategy outlined below:
Draw a picture (as always when working with word problems)
Identify what is known and unknown; assign variables to the unknown quantities; and find the constraints.
Find a function that models the scenario to be either maximized or minimized.
Find the critical numbers of the above function.
Determine the answer by identifying the absolute extrema asked for
in the problem and make sure it is within the constraints.