Originally Posted by
Dr_Calculus
A square is a rectangle with the greatest amount of area for fixed amounts of material.
We don't know what subject the person who posed this problem is taking.
The above quote is of course true, but it results from a calculus proof; perhaps the person who posed the problem is taking a pre-calculus course.
The first person who replied seems to have used trial and error. There's nothing wrong with that, but it is a little unsatisfying.
Is there a solution that is more logical than trial and error, but that does not require a result from calculus?