Introduce a constant Lagrange multiplier for this isoperimetric constraint and make stationary. Its integrand is , so the Euler-Lagrange equation givesThe endpoint conditions therefore force a parabola . Its area and budget areSolving the quadratic and choosing positive area givesThis requires ; no positive-area barrier is possible for a nonpositive budget. The corresponding multiplier is .
To verify a global maximum rather than just stationarity, use the sharp area-cost bound for a barrier with fixed endpoints. For , integration by parts gives , and . The Cauchy-Schwarz inequality impliesFor the last expression increases strictly, yielding exactly the boxed upper bound. Equality requires proportional to , hence after imposing the endpoints. Thus the displayed optimum is unique and lies above the baseline throughout the interior.