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Related Rates Problem Solving Guide

Related rate problems involve quantities that change over time and are interconnected. The steps to solve these problems include identifying the rate to find, assigning variables, writing related equations, differentiating with respect to time, and substituting values to solve for the unknown rate. Several examples illustrate various scenarios, such as changes in area, volume, and shadow length related to rates of change.

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6 views3 pages

Related Rates Problem Solving Guide

Related rate problems involve quantities that change over time and are interconnected. The steps to solve these problems include identifying the rate to find, assigning variables, writing related equations, differentiating with respect to time, and substituting values to solve for the unknown rate. Several examples illustrate various scenarios, such as changes in area, volume, and shadow length related to rates of change.

Uploaded by

klin3607
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Section 4.

3
Related Rates
In the natural and behavioral sciences, there are quantities that are related to each other but vary with time.

Problems involving the rate of change of related variables are called related rate problems.

Steps for Solving a Related Rates Problem

1. Determine what rate you are asked to find. Draw a picture when possible.

2. Identify variables and assign symbols to them. Identify rates of change as derivatives. Indicate what is
given and what is asked for.

3. Write an equation that relates the variables. It may be necessary to write more than one equation.

4. Differentiate both sides of the equation(s) with respect to time.

5. Substitute numerical values for the variables and the derivatives. Solve for the unknown rate.

Ex 1: The area of a circular region is decreasing at a rate of 2π square inches per minute. When the area of
the circle is 25π square inches, how fast is the radius of the circle decreasing in inches per minute?
Ex 2: The radius r of a sphere is increasing at a constant rate of 2 cm per minute. At the instant the surface
area S becomes 64π square centimeters, find the rate at which the volume V of the sphere is increasing in
cubic centimeters per minute.

Ex 3: The top of a 13-foot ladder is sliding down a vertical wall at a constant rate of 1 foot per minute. What
is the rate of change of the distance between the bottom of the ladder and the wall when the top of the ladder
is 12 feet from the ground?
Ex 4: A 1.8-meter-tall man walks away from a 6-meter-tall lamp post at a rate of 1.5 m/s. The light at the
top of the post creates a shadow in front of the man. Find the rate at which the head of the man’s shadow is
moving along the ground.

Ex 5: An inverted cone is 20 cm tall, has an opening radius of 8 cm, and was initially full of water. The water
drains from the cone at the constant rate of 15 cm3 each second. The water’s surface level falls as a result.
At what rate is the water level falling when the water is halfway down the cone?

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