The lengths of the sides of a rectangle are a and b, where a > b The sum of the lengths of the two shorter sides and one of the longer sides of the rectangle is 36. What value of a maximizes the area of the rectangle?
A .9
B. 12
C. 18
D. 24
The answer is C. I suspect there is an easier way to solve than completing the square and finding the vertex of the resulting quadratic function. What is your most direct, easy to understand solution to this calculator-allowed question?