Solutions to In-Class Problems: Related Rates

1. If V is the volume of the cube with edge length x and the cube expands as time passes. Find dV /dt in
terms of dx/dt. If the length of the edge is increasing at a constant speed 1 cm/s, how fast is the volume
changing when the edge length is 20 cm?

Solution: The edge length x(t) is a function of time. We have the following formula for V as a function of
time V (t) = x(t)3 . Using the chain rule, we get

dV dx
= 3x(t)2 .
dt dt

If the length of the edge is 20 cm. and is increasing at a speed 1 cm/s,

dV
= 3 · 202 · 1 = 1200 (cm3 /s)
dt

1
2. At 7 : 00 A.M. a truck is 60 miles due north of a car. The truck is traveling south at a constant speed of
40 mph, while the car is traveling east at 60 mph. How fast is the distance between the car and the truck
changing at 7 : 30 A.M.?
Solution: Time t is measured in hours and t = 0 corresponds to 7 : 00 A.M. On the graph below the origin
corresponds to the position of the car at 7 : 00 A.M., the x-axis point to the east and the y-axis points to
the north; x(t) is position of the car, y(t) is position of the truck and z(t) is the distance between the two
of them.

z(t)
y(t)

0 x(t) x

Need: dz/dt at t = 0.5.

Given:
x(t)=60t (miles)
y(t)=60-40t (miles)
(1)
dx/dt = 60 (mph)
dy/dt = −40 (mph)
(We have ”−”in the last formula because the truck is traveling south while the y-axis points to the north).
By Pythagorean theorem
z(t)2 = x(t)2 + y(t)2 .
Differentiating with respect to t, we have
dz dx dy
2z = 2x + 2y .
dt dt dt

Solving for dz/dt: µ ¶

dz 1 dx dy
= x +y . (2)
dt z dt dt

We are interested in dz/dt at t = 0.5, hence we need to find x(0.5), y(0.5) and z(0.5).
√ From formulas (1):
x(0.5) = 30 miles, y(0.5) = 60 − 20 = 40 miles; by Pythagorean theorem z(0.5) = 302 + 402 = 50 miles.
Substituting x, y, z, dx/dt and dy/dt in formula (2), we have

dz 1 200
= (30 · 60 − 40 · 40) = = 4(mph).
dt 50 50

2
3. A person is siting on a bench in a park and watching a balloon rising up in the air 100 m away from him.
m
Balloon is rising up at a constant speed of 5 sec . A person moves his head in order to keep balloon in sight.
How fast does the person move his head when the balloon is at the height of 50 m?
Solution: In the diagramm below P is the person and B is the balloon.

h(t)

θ(t)
P C

Need: dθ/dt when h(t) = 50 m.

Given:

P C = 100 meters
BC = h(t) = 5t meters (3)
dh
= 5 m/s
dt
From the rectangular triangle P BC we have

h(t)
tan θ = ,
100
and hence
h(t)
θ = arctan (radians)
100
Using the chain rule, we have
dθ 1 1 dh 100 dh
= ´2 · = .
dt 100 dt 10000 + h(t)2 dt
³
h(t)
1+ 100

dθ dh
We are interested in dt at the time, when h(t) = 50 meters. Since dt = 5, we have

dθ 100 5 1
= ·5= = .
dt 10000 + 502 125 25

3
 1
4. Sand is being dumped into a conical pile whose height is 2 the radius of its base. Suppose sand is being
pumped at a rate 5 cubic meters per minute.
(a) How fast is the height of the pile increasing when it is 9 meters heigh?
(b) How fast is the area of the base increasing at this moment?
(c) How fast is the circumference of the base increasing at this moment?
(d) Will the height be increasing more slowly, more rapidly or at steady pace as time goes on?
Solution:

r(t) = 2h(t)

h(t)

The formula for the volume of the cone is V = 13 h · πr2 , where r is the radius of the base and h is the hight
of the cone. In our case r = 2h, hence V = 34 πh3 . Solving for h, we have
r
3 3V
h= . (4)
4π

dV
Given: dt = 5.

(a) Need: dh
dt when h = 9.
Applying the chain rule to equation (4), we get
µ ¶−2/3
dh 1 3V 3 dV
= · · .
dt 3 4π 4π dt

which (simplifying and using (4)) is the same as

dh 1 −2 dV 5 5
= h = 2
= . (5)
dt 4π dt 4·9 π 324π

(b) Let A be the area of the base. Then A = πr2 , where r is the radius of the base, and in our case
A = 4πh2 .
Need: dA
dt when h = 9.
By chain rule
dA dh
= 8πh .
dt dt
dh 5 dA 5 10
If h = 9, then dt = 324π (by part (a)), and hence dt = 8π · 9 · 324π = 9 .
(c) Let C be the circumference of the base. In terms of the radius of the base it is given by C = 2πr. In
our case r = 2h, hence C = 4πh.
Need: dCdt when h = 9.
By chain rule
dC dh
= 4π .
dt dt
dh
Substituting the answer for part (a) instead of dt , we have

dC 5 5
= 4π = .
dt 324π 81
dh 5 dh
(d) From the equation (5), dt = 4πh2 , i.e. the bigger is h, the smaller is dt . Hence the hight will be
increasing more slowly.

4
5. A runner sprints around a circular track of radius 100 meters at a constant speed of 7 ms . The runners friend
is standing at a distance 130 m from the center of the track. How fast is the distance between two friends
changing when the distance between them is 130 m?
Solution:

R
h(t)

θ
F O

dh
Need: dt when h = 130.
Given:
F O = 130 meters
RO = 100meters
velocity of the runner is 7m/s.
By the Law of cosines the distance h(t) between the runner and his friend can be determined from the
following formula
h(t)2 = F O2 + RO2 − 2F O · RO · cos θ(t).
Differentiating both sides with respect to t we have
dh dθ
2h = 2F O · RO sin θ(t) .
dt dt
Hence
dh 13000 sin θ(t) dθ
= (6).
dt h dt
dθ
The dt is the angular velocity of the runner. It can be computed using the formula
velocity
angular velocity = ,
radius of the circle
7
and in our case it is constant, equal to 100 .
The only thing left is to compute sin θ when h = 9. Using the diagram below, sin θ = FF O
A
(here F A is
perpendicular to RO). The F O equals to 130. Since F R = h = 130 = F O, the AO is a half of RO. The
F A can be computed using Pythagorean theorem:
p p
F A = F O2 − AO2 = 1302 − 502 = 120.
120 12
Hence sin θ = 130 = 13 .

h
A

F θ O
Now, substituting this in (6), we get
12
dh 13000 · 13 7 12 · 7 84
= · = = .
dt 130 100 13 13

5
6. A lighthouse is located 3 kilometers away from a long, straight beach wall. The beacon of light is rotating
steadily at a rate 1 21 revolutions per minute.

(a) A lone soul is sitting on the beach wall 5 kilometers from the lighthouse, staring into the sea and
contemplating the universe. At what rate is the ray of light moving along the beach wall when it
passes the thinker?
(b) At what point along the beach wall is the beam moving most slowly?

Solution: O x(t) P

θ
L
(a) Need: dx
dt when P L = 5.
Given:
LO = 3
dθ
dt = 3π
x(t)
From the rectangular triangle in the diagram above tan θ = 3 . Solving for x(t), we get

x(t) = 3 tan θ.

Hence
dx 3 dθ
= 2
· . (7)
dt cos θ dt
Let us compute cos θ when P L = 5. From the triangle above, cos θ = LO/P L = 3/5. Substituting
this and dθ/dt in (7), we get
dx 3 9 · 25π
= · 3π = = 25π.
dt (3/5)2 9

(b) From (7), dx

dt is minimal when cos θ is maximal, i.e. when cos θ = 1. This corresponds to θ = 0. Hence
the beam is moving most slowly at the point, where θ = 0, i.e. at the point O.