Math 120R-10 Second Exam, Version A, SOLUTIONS, 8-10(a)(b) Spring 2009

8. A power station is on one side of a river that is 1/2 mi wide, and a factory is 6 mi. downstream on
the other side. It costs $6 per foot to run power lines overland and $8 per foot to run them in water.
There are various possible ways of laying the pipeline: Directly through the water from power station to factory, or from
the power station through the water to some point on the opposite shore, and then overland to the factory. Express
the cost of laying the pipeline in terms of an appropriate variable x.
SOLUTION. See Ex. 44 in Sect. 4.4 (with sketch) and Ex. 48 in Sect. 4.5. Sketch:
power station

1/2 mi. power lines

x P 6-x factory

6 mi.
Suppose x is measured in miles. The distance from the power station to the point P on the
opposite shore is, by the Pythagorean Theorem, ((1/2)2 + x2)1/2 (in miles), and since the cost in
water is $8 per foot, the cost of laying this part of the power line is (8)(5280) ((1/2)2 + x2)1/2 (in
dollars). The distance from the point P to the factory is 6 - x, and since the cost on land is $6 per
foot, the cost of laying this part of the power line is (6)(5280)(6 - x) (in dollars). Thus, the total
cost is (in dollars)
total cost = (8)(5280) ((1 /2 )2 + x 2 )1/2 + (6)(5280)(6 - x).

9. An athletic field with a perimeter of 1/4 mile consists of a rectangle with a semicircle at each end.
Find a formula for the area of the rectangular region in terms of one variable, x or r.
SOLUTION. The perimeter of the field is 2x + 2πr (WHY?), which is given
to be 1/4 mile. The area of the rectangular region is 2rx (WHY?). From r
the perimeter we get 2x + 2πr = 1/4, so
x = 1/8 - πr. Thus, the area is A = 2r(1 /8 - πr). x

10. Let f (t) = -16t 2 + 256t.

(a) What are the intercepts?
(b) Find the vertex by completing the square. Does the vertex give you a
maximum or a minimum for the graph? Why?
SOLUTION. (a) The vertical intercept is obtained when t = 0; it is obviously 0 (the point (0,0)).
The horizontal intercepts are obtained by setting finding the zeros of the function:
-16t 2 + 256t = 0, so -16t(t - 16) = 0, so t = 0 and t = 16.
Thus, the horizontal intercepts are at 0 and 16 (i.e., the points (0,0) and (16,0)).
(b) Complete the square:
f (t) = -16t 2 + 256t = -16(t 2 - 16t + 82) + (16)(64) = -16(t - 8)2 + (1024) .
So the vertex is at (8, 1024). Since the coefficient of the t2 term is negative, the vertex gives a max.
Check: The horizontal coordinate of the vertex is halfway between the horizontal intercepts!