A piece of wire 20 inches long is cut into two pieces. One piece is bent into a square and the other is bent into an equilateral triangle, as illustrated.

(a) Write a formula that gives the area 4 of the two shapes in terms of x. 

(b) Find the length of wire (to the nearest tenth of an inch) that should be used for the square if the combined area of the two shapes is to be minimized?

Transcribed Image Text:

X x y