A botanist is using two types of plants for an experiment. She writes inequalities to model the constraints on the number of each type of plant she can use. She uses linear programming to find the vertex of the feasible region that results in the minimum value, in dollars, of the cost function. If that vertex is open paren 5 comma 39 close paren , what do the coordinates represent?
Answer
A
Buying five of each type of plant costs 39 dollars , which is the lowest possible cost.
B
The lowest possible cost of the plants is 5 dollars , which occurs when a total of 39 plants are bought.
C
The lowest possible cost of the plants is 5 dollars , which occurs when 39 of each type of plant are bought.
D
Buying five of one type of plant and 39 of the other type of plant results in the lowest cost.
Explanation
The coordinates of the vertex give the values of the two variables, which represent the numbers of the two types of plants. So (5, 39) means using 5 plants of one type and 39 of the other. Because this vertex minimizes the cost function, that combination results in the lowest cost; the coordinates themselves are not dollar amounts.
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