Applications of Derivatives

Recall
Suppose
describes the motion of a
particle along a straight line.
We know that the derivative
instantaneous velocity.

gives the

Rate of Change
Suppose y is a quantity that depends on time
t.
Then we can write

The derivative
gives the instantaneous
rate of change of y with respect to t.

Related Rates
Two or more quantities that vary over time
may be related.
Then, the rates at which they vary over time
are also related.
Example:

Area of a circle and radius of the circle

Example
Air is being pumped into a spherical balloon
so that its volume increases at a rate of 100
cm3/s. How fast is the radius of the balloon
increasing when it is 25 cm?
Let V be the volume of the balloon and

let r be the radius of the balloon.

Given:
Unknown:

when

Equation:

Differentiate both sides of the equation with

respect to t.

Solving for the unknown, we get

When

The radius is increasing at a rate of

when the radius is 25 cm.

cm/s

Example
A ladder 10 ft long rests against a vertical
wall. If the bottom of the ladder slides
away from the wall at the rate of 1 ft/s, how
fast is the top of the ladder sliding down
the wall when the bottom of the ladder is 6
ft away from the wall?

Let x be the distance of the bottom of the

ladder from the wall,

let y be the distance of the top of the ladder

from the floor.
Given:

Unknown:

when

Differentiate both sides of the equation with

respect to t, we get

Solving for the unknown,

Note first that when

Using these values and the given, we get

Therefore, the top of the ladder is sliding

down the fall at a rate of ft/s when the
bottom of the ladder is 6 ft from the wall.

Example
A water tank has the shape of an inverted
circular cone with base radius of 2m and
height of 4m. If water is being pumped into
the tank at a rate of 2m3/min, find the rate
at which the water level is rising when the
water is 3m deep.

Let V be the volume of the water in the tank,

let h be the height of the water in the tank,
let r be the radius of the water surface.

Given:
Unknown:

when

First, we have to eliminate r in the equation

by expressing r in terms of h.

The equation then becomes

Differentiating with respect to t,

Solving for the unknown,

When

The water level is rising at a rate of

m/min
when the height of the water is 3 m.

Example
A man walks along a straight path at a speed
of 4 ft/s. A searchlight is located on the
ground and is kept focused on the man. At
what rate is the searchlight rotating when
the man in 15 ft from the point on the path
closest to the searchlight?

Let x be the distance of the man from the

point on the path closest to the searchlight,

let be the angle between the beam and the

perpendicular to the path.

Given:
Unknown:

when

Differentiate both sides with respect to t,

Solving for the unknown,

Note that when

beam is 25.

Then,

, the length of the

Substituting values, we get

The searchlight is rotating at a rate of

rad/s when the man is 15 ft from the point
closest to the searchlight.