230 |||| CHAPTER 3 DIFFERENTIATION RULES

urban geographer is interested in the rate of change of the population density in a city as
the distance from the city center increases. A meteorologist is concerned with the rate of
change of atmospheric pressure with respect to height (see Exercise 17 in Section 3.8).
In psychology, those interested in learning theory study the so-called learning curve,
which graphs the performance P共t兲 of someone learning a skill as a function of the train-
ing time t. Of particular interest is the rate at which performance improves as time passes,
that is, dP兾dt.
In sociology, differential calculus is used in analyzing the spread of rumors (or innova-
tions or fads or fashions). If p共t兲 denotes the proportion of a population that knows a rumor
by time t, then the derivative dp兾dt represents the rate of spread of the rumor (see Exer-
cise 82 in Section 3.4).

A SINGLE IDEA, MANY INTERPRETATIONS

Velocity, density, current, power, and temperature gradient in physics; rate of reaction and
compressibility in chemistry; rate of growth and blood velocity gradient in biology; mar-
ginal cost and marginal profit in economics; rate of heat flow in geology; rate of improve-
ment of performance in psychology; rate of spread of a rumor in sociology—these are all
special cases of a single mathematical concept, the derivative.
This is an illustration of the fact that part of the power of mathematics lies in its
abstractness. A single abstract mathematical concept (such as the derivative) can have dif-
ferent interpretations in each of the sciences. When we develop the properties of the math-
ematical concept once and for all, we can then turn around and apply these results to all of
the sciences. This is much more efficient than developing properties of special concepts in
each separate science. The French mathematician Joseph Fourier (1768–1830) put it suc-
cinctly: “Mathematics compares the most diverse phenomena and discovers the secret
analogies that unite them.”

3.7 EXERCISES

1– 4 A particle moves according to a law of motion s 苷 f 共t兲, (a) √ (b) √

t  0, where t is measured in seconds and s in feet.
(a) Find the velocity at time t.
(b) What is the velocity after 3 s?
(c) When is the particle at rest? 0 1 t 0 1 t
(d) When is the particle moving in the positive direction?
(e) Find the total distance traveled during the first 8 s.
(f) Draw a diagram like Figure 2 to illustrate the motion of the
6. Graphs of the position functions of two particles are shown,
particle.
where t is measured in seconds. When is each particle speed-
(g) Find the acceleration at time t and after 3 s.
ing up? When is it slowing down? Explain.
; (h) Graph the position, velocity, and acceleration functions for (a) s (b) s
0  t  8.
(i) When is the particle speeding up? When is it slowing down?
1. f 共t兲 苷 t 3  12t 2  36t 2. f 共t兲 苷 0.01t 4  0.04t 3
0 1 t 0 1 t
3. f 共t兲 苷 cos共 t兾4兲, t  10 4. f 共t兲 苷 tet兾2

5. Graphs of the velocity functions of two particles are shown, 7. The position function of a particle is given by
where t is measured in seconds. When is each particle speed- s 苷 t 3  4.5t 2  7t, t  0.
ing up? When is it slowing down? Explain. (a) When does the particle reach a velocity of 5 m兾s?
 SECTION 3.7 RATES OF CHANGE IN THE NATURAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES |||| 231

(b) When is the acceleration 0? What is the significance of 15. A spherical balloon is being inflated. Find the rate of increase
this value of t ? of the surface area 共S 苷 4 r 2 兲 with respect to the radius r
when r is (a) 1 ft, (b) 2 ft, and (c) 3 ft. What conclusion can
8. If a ball is given a push so that it has an initial velocity of
you make?
5 m兾s down a certain inclined plane, then the distance it has
16. (a) The volume of a growing spherical cell is V 苷 3  r 3,
4
rolled after t seconds is s 苷 5t  3t 2.
(a) Find the velocity after 2 s. where the radius r is measured in micrometers
(b) How long does it take for the velocity to reach 35 m兾s? (1 m 苷 106 m). Find the average rate of change of V
with respect to r when r changes from
9. If a stone is thrown vertically upward from the surface of the (i) 5 to 8 m (ii) 5 to 6 m (iii) 5 to 5.1 m
moon with a velocity of 10 m兾s, its height (in meters) after (b) Find the instantaneous rate of change of V with respect to
t seconds is h 苷 10t  0.83t 2. r when r 苷 5 m.
(a) What is the velocity of the stone after 3 s? (c) Show that the rate of change of the volume of a sphere
(b) What is the velocity of the stone after it has risen 25 m? with respect to its radius is equal to its surface area.
Explain geometrically why this result is true. Argue by
10. If a ball is thrown vertically upward with a velocity of
analogy with Exercise 13(c).
80 ft兾s, then its height after t seconds is s 苷 80t  16t 2.
(a) What is the maximum height reached by the ball? 17. The mass of the part of a metal rod that lies between its left
(b) What is the velocity of the ball when it is 96 ft above the end and a point x meters to the right is 3x 2 kg. Find the linear
ground on its way up? On its way down? density (see Example 2) when x is (a) 1 m, (b) 2 m, and
(c) 3 m. Where is the density the highest? The lowest?
11. (a) A company makes computer chips from square wafers
of silicon. It wants to keep the side length of a wafer very 18. If a tank holds 5000 gallons of water, which drains from the
close to 15 mm and it wants to know how the area A共x兲 of bottom of the tank in 40 minutes, then Torricelli’s Law gives
a wafer changes when the side length x changes. Find the volume V of water remaining in the tank after t minutes as
A共15兲 and explain its meaning in this situation.
(b) Show that the rate of change of the area of a square with
respect to its side length is half its perimeter. Try to
冉
V 苷 5000 1 
t
40
冊
2
0  t  40

explain geometrically why this is true by drawing a Find the rate at which water is draining from the tank after
square whose side length x is increased by an amount x. (a) 5 min, (b) 10 min, (c) 20 min, and (d) 40 min. At what
How can you approximate the resulting change in area time is the water flowing out the fastest? The slowest?
A if x is small? Summarize your findings.
12. (a) Sodium chlorate crystals are easy to grow in the shape of 19. The quantity of charge Q in coulombs (C) that has passed
cubes by allowing a solution of water and sodium chlorate through a point in a wire up to time t (measured in seconds)
to evaporate slowly. If V is the volume of such a cube is given by Q共t兲 苷 t 3  2t 2  6t  2. Find the current when
with side length x, calculate dV兾dx when x 苷 3 mm and (a) t 苷 0.5 s and (b) t 苷 1 s. [See Example 3. The unit of
explain its meaning. current is an ampere (1 A 苷 1 C兾s).] At what time is the cur-
(b) Show that the rate of change of the volume of a cube with rent lowest?
respect to its edge length is equal to half the surface area 20. Newton’s Law of Gravitation says that the magnitude F of the
of the cube. Explain geometrically why this result is true force exerted by a body of mass m on a body of mass M is
by arguing by analogy with Exercise 11(b).
GmM
F苷
13. (a) Find the average rate of change of the area of a circle r2
with respect to its radius r as r changes from where G is the gravitational constant and r is the distance
(i) 2 to 3 (ii) 2 to 2.5 (iii) 2 to 2.1 between the bodies.
(b) Find the instantaneous rate of change when r 苷 2. (a) Find dF兾dr and explain its meaning. What does the minus
(c) Show that the rate of change of the area of a circle with sign indicate?
respect to its radius (at any r) is equal to the circumfer- (b) Suppose it is known that the earth attracts an object with
ence of the circle. Try to explain geometrically why this a force that decreases at the rate of 2 N兾km when
is true by drawing a circle whose radius is increased r 苷 20,000 km. How fast does this force change when
by an amount r. How can you approximate the resulting r 苷 10,000 km?
change in area A if r is small?
21. Boyle’s Law states that when a sample of gas is compressed
14. A stone is dropped into a lake, creating a circular ripple that at a constant temperature, the product of the pressure and the
travels outward at a speed of 60 cm兾s. Find the rate at which volume remains constant: PV 苷 C.
the area within the circle is increasing after (a) 1 s, (b) 3 s, (a) Find the rate of change of volume with respect to
and (c) 5 s. What can you conclude? pressure.