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Understanding Rates of Change in Geometry

1) The volume of a cube increases 3 times as fast as the side length increases. The area of a right isosceles triangle increases at the same rate as the side length. 2) Using the chain rule, the rate of change of volume with respect to time equals 3 times the square of the side times the rate of change of the side with respect to time. The rate of change of area with respect to time equals the side times the rate of change of the side with respect to time. 3) For a particle moving in a circular orbit, when the x-coordinate is decreasing at 4 units/second, the y-coordinate is decreasing at 3 units/second. When the angle between two

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5 views6 pages

Understanding Rates of Change in Geometry

1) The volume of a cube increases 3 times as fast as the side length increases. The area of a right isosceles triangle increases at the same rate as the side length. 2) Using the chain rule, the rate of change of volume with respect to time equals 3 times the square of the side times the rate of change of the side with respect to time. The rate of change of area with respect to time equals the side times the rate of change of the side with respect to time. 3) For a particle moving in a circular orbit, when the x-coordinate is decreasing at 4 units/second, the y-coordinate is decreasing at 3 units/second. When the angle between two

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© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Rates of Change

Volume of cube: V = s3.

Rate of change of volume V


dV
with respect to (rate of change of ) its side s: = 3s2.
ds

z2
Area of right isosceles triangle of side z: A = .
2
dA
Rate of change of area A with respect to z: = z.
dz
1
Height of free-falling object: y(t) = − gt2 + v0t + y0.
2
Initial height: y(0) = y0.

Velocity:
dy
Rate of change of height with respect to time: = −gt + v0.
dt
If this is positive, the object is rising.
If this is negative, the object is falling.
Initial velocity: y 0(0) = v0

Acceleration:
Rate of change of velocity with respect to time: −g.
This is negative, because gravity pulls downward.
Rates of Change with the Chain Rule

Volume of cube: V = s3.


Rate of change of volume V with respect to its side s:
dV
= 3s2.
ds
ds
Rate of change of the side s with respect to the time t: .
dt
Rate of change of the volume V with respect to the time t:
dV dV ds 2 ds
= · = 3s .
dt ds dt 2
dt
The volume is changing 3s times as fast
as the side s is changing.
dV
dV
Note that = 3s2 = dt .
ds ds
dt
z2
Area of right isosceles triangle of side z: A = .
2
dA
Rate of change of area A with respect to the side z: = z.
dz
dz
Rate of change of the side z with respect to the time t: .
dt

Rate of change of the area A with respect to the time t:


dA dA dz dz
= · =z .
dt dz dt dt

The area is changing z times as fast as the side z is changing.


dA
dA
Note that = z = dt .
dz dz
dt
A particle is moving in circular orbit x2 + y 2 = 100.
As it passes through the point (-6,8) its x-coordinate is decreas-
ing at 4 units per second. How is the y-coordinate changing?
p
Explicit way: y = 100 − x2,
dx
dy −2x −(−6)(−4) −24
= √ dt =p = = −3.
dt 2 100 − x 2 100 − (−6) 2 8
The y-coordinate is decreasing at 3 units per second

Implicit way: x2(t) + y 2(t) = 100.


d
: 2x(t)x0(t) + 2y(t)y 0(t) = 0
dt
0 x(t)x0(t) (−6)(−4)
y (t) = − =− = −3.
y(t) 8
A triangle with sides of fixed length 3 and a, has a variable
side x and a variable angle θ between the sides of length x and
3. At an instant when θ equals π2 and when x is increasing at
a rate of 2 units per second, how is θ changing?
a2 = 32 + x2 − 2 · 3 · x · cos θ (Law of cosines)
dx dx dθ
0 = 0 + 2x −2·3· · cos θ − 2 · 3 · x · (− sin θ)
dt dt dt
dx dx π π dθ
0 = 0 + 2x −2·3· · cos − 2 · 3 · x · (− sin )
dt dt 2 2 dt
dθ
0 = 0 + 2x · (2) − 2 · 3 · (2) · (0) − 2 · 3 · x · (−1)
dt
dθ
0=0+ (2) − 3 · ·(−1)
dt
θ decreases at the rate of two-thirds of a radian per second.

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