AlgebraVery hardMaximum of a linear expression under constraints
Algebra practice question
Real numbers x and y satisfy x + y ≤ 10, x ≥ 2, and y ≥ 3. What is the greatest possible value of 2x + y?
Answer: 17
2x + y = (x + y) + x ≤ 10 + x, and x is largest when y is smallest: y = 3, x = 7 gives 17.
Common wrong answers
- If you answered 13
- 13 uses x = 5 and y = 3 without pushing x to its limit.
- If you answered 16
- 16 uses x = 2 and y = 8, which is the minimum end, not the maximum.
- If you answered 20
- 20 uses x = 10, which leaves no room for y ≥ 3.
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