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Ex. A spherical balloon is being inflated at a rate of 100 cm3/sec. How fast
is the radius of the balloon increasing when the diameter is 50 cm?
Given: The rate of change, with respect to time, of the volume, dV/dt.
Wanted: The rate of change, w.r.t. time, of the radius, dr/dt, when the
diameter ( = 2r) is 50 cm.
dV 4 dr dr
= π (3r 2 ) = 4π r 2
dt 3 dt dt
dr
100 = 4π (25) 2
dt
dr 1
Therefore, = cm/sec
dt 25 π
Ex. A 13-ft ladder is leaning against a wall when its base starts to slide away
from the wall. By the time its base is 12 ft from the wall, the base is moving
at the rate of 5 ft/sec.
(a) How fast is the top of the ladder sliding down the wall then?
We are looking for dy/dt. A simple relation between x and y is via the
Pythagorean Theorem: x2 + y2 = 132. Implicitly differentiate both sides of
the equation with respect to t
dx dy
2x + 2 y = 0.
dt dt
dy − x dx
=
dt y dt
We know that at the moment x = 12, dx/dt = 5. The only other thing we
need is y, which can be found by setting x = 12 and use the equation
x2 + y2 = 132. We have y = 5. Therefore,
dy − x dx − 12
= = ⋅ 5 = −12
dt y dt 5
The minus sign denotes that the ladder is sliding down, i.e., the height y is
decreasing. It is sliding down at a speed of 12 ft/sec.
Now the unknown is the rate of change of the area, dA/dt. We know
the rates of changes of the 2 sides, therefore, the choice for a relation
between what are known and the unknown is simple: A = xy/2.
dA 1 dy dx
= x + y .
dt 2 dt dt
We are given that when x = 12, dx/dt = 5. We’ve also found in (a)
that, at the same moment, y = 5 and dy/dt = −12. Substitute those values into
the equation above and we have
dA 1 − 144 + 25 − 119
= (12 ⋅ (−12) + 5 ⋅ 5) = = = −59.5
dt 2 2 2
(c) At what rate is the angle θ, between the ladder and the ground
changing then?
Can you think of a formula that relates the angleθ with the sides x
and y of a right triangle? There are in fact six familiar ones.
Answer: −1 rad/sec
Ex. A water tank in the shape of an inverted circular cone with base radius
2 meters and height 4 meters. If water is being pumped into the tank at a
rate of 2 m3/min, find the rate at which the water level is rising when the
water inside is 3 meters deep.
8
Answer: m/min
9π