General Steps to Solving Optimization Problems

• Read the problem carefully.
• What is the quantity to be optimized? Are we minimizing or maximizing?
• What information is given?
• Draw a picture that helps you organize the information given.
• What quantities should be variables? Give them helpful names and label your picture.
• What do we know about the relationship(s) between our variables? Are there constraints we need to make sure we satisfy?
• Using the previous step, write a function in one variable for the quantity you will optimize.
• Determine the domain of your function.
• Use what you learned in sections 4.1 and 4.2 to find your answer(s).