Question

Let $0≤a≤x≤100$ and f(x)=$|x−a|+|x−100|+|x−a−50|$.Then the maximum value of f(x) becomes 100 when a is equal to

• A. 100
• B. 25
• C. 0
• D. 50

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

We're given the function $f(x)=∣x−a∣+∣x−100∣+∣x−a−50∣$ and asked to find the value of a that maximizes f(x). We analyze three
cases for the possible values of x relative to a and a+50.
1. $x≤a$: Maximized at x=0.
2. $a≤x≤a+50$: Maximized at x=a.
3. $x≥a+50$: Maximized at x=100.
Comparing the maximum values in each case, we find that the maximum value of f(x) occurs in Case 1, where 2a+150 is the expression for the
maximum value.
To maximize f(x), we need to maximize 2a+150, which is achieved when a=100.
So, the maximum value of f(x) is 100, and it happens when a is equal to 100. Thus, the correct answer is:100