Chapter 13, Problem 6PS

Minimizing Costs A heated storage room has the shape of a rectangular prism and has a volume of 1000 cubic feet, as shown in the figure. Because warm air rises, the heat loss per unit of area through the ceiling is five times as great as the heat loss through the floor. The heat loss through the four walls is three times as great as the heat loss through the floor. Determine the room dimensions that will minimize heat loss and therefore minimize heating costs.

$V=xyz=1000{\text{ft}}^{\text{3}}$