How to Solve Related Rate Problems

1. Diagram 2. Goal 3. Data

Draw a diagram. Find rate (d/dt) of what? a. b. c. c. Which quantities are changing? Assign variable names to them. Which quantities are constant? Which rates are given? Is each rate positive or negative? Are there freeze frame values?

4. Equation

Write an equation relating the variables (e.g. Pythagorean Theorem, area/volume, proportion, trig function). You may need to combine two or more equations. Differentiate (d/dt) equation with respect to time. Plug in given values and solve.

5. Differentiate 6. Solve

Useful Formulas
Area of a circle: A = r2 Circumference of a circle: C = 2r
3 Volume of a sphere: V = 4 3 r Surface area of a sphere: A = 4r2

Volume of a cylinder: V = r2 h Surface area of a cylinder: A = 2rh + 2r2

1 r2 h Volume of a cone: 3

Pythagorean Theorem: a2 + b2 = c2 Pythagorean triples: (3, 4, 5), (5, 12, 13)

Area of a Rectangle
A rectangular piece of rubber can be stretched lengthwise or widthwise or in both directions. Its area is dened by A = lw.

w l

1. How is dA/dt related to dw/dt if l is constant? 2. How is dA/dt related to dl/dt if w is constant?

dw dA =l dt dt dA dl =w dt dt dA dw dl =l +w dt dt dt

3. How is dA/dt related to dl/dt and dw/dt if neither l nor w is constant?

4. Suppose the rectangle is stretched lengthwise at a rate of dl/dt = 3 cm/sec and widthwise at a rate of dw/dt = 2 cm/sec. At what rate is the area changing when l = 12 cm and w = 8 cm? dA dt dA dt = l = dw dl +w dt dt

12(2) + 8(3) = 48 cm2 /sec .

Volume of a Cylinder
A cylindrical aquarium tank is lling with water at a rate of 72 m3 /min. The radius of the tank is 6 m and the height is 10 m. How fast is the water level rising?

6m

10 m h

Goal. Data.

Find dh/dt, where h is the height of the water. Let V represent the volume and r represent the radius of the water. Given: dV /dt = 72. Constants: r = 6.

Equation.

V = r2 h = (62 )h V = 36h dV dh = 36 dt dt 72 = 36 dh dt =

(volume of cylinder)

Differentiate.

Solve.

dh 72 2 = = m/min . dt 36

Volume of a Cone
A cone-shaped coffee lter is draining at a rate of 20 in3 /min. The lter has a diameter of 8 inches and a height of 6 inches. How fast is the coffee level falling when the coffee is 3 inches deep?

4 in

6 in h

Goal. Data.

Find dh/dt, where h is the height of the coffee. Let V represent the volume and r represent the radius of the coffee. Given: dV /dt = 20 in3 /min. Constants: lter radius is 4, lter height is 6. Freeze frame: when h = 3.

Equations.

Note:

4 2h r = = r = h 6 3 2 r h= 3 3 4 3 h 27 2h 3
2

(similar triangles) 3 4h2 9

V =

h=

(volume of cone)

V = Differentiate.

dV 4 dh = (3h2 ) dt 27 dt 4 2 dh dV = h dt 9 dt

Solve.

20 =

4 2 dh (3 ) 9 dt

dh 20 5 = = in/min . dt 4

How fast is the radius r changing at this time? Equation. Differentiate. r= 2h 3

dr 2 dh = dt 3 dt dr 2 = dt 3 5 = 10 in/min . 3

Solve.

Right Triangle
Siblings Alice and Bob leave home for school in the morning. Alice walks north at a rate of 8 ft/sec while Bob walks east at a rate of 6 ft/sec. How fast is the distance between Alice and Bob changing when Alice is 20 ft and Bob is 15 ft from home?

A a s

Goal. Data.

Find ds/dt, where s is the distance between Alice and Bob. Let a represent the distance between Alice and home. Let b represent the distance between Bob and home. Given: da/dt = 8, db/dt = 6. Freeze frame: when a = 20, b = 15.

Equation. Differentiate.

a2 + b2 = s2 2a

(Pythagorean theorem)

db ds da + 2b = 2s dt dt dt da db ds +b =s dt dt dt

a Solve.

Freeze frame: s2 = a2 + b2 = 202 + 152 = 625 = s = 25 ft. a da db ds +b =s dt dt dt

ds 20(8) + 15(6) = 25 dt ds 160 + 90 = 25 dt ds 250 = = 10 ft/sec . dt 25

Suppose Alice leaves rst, walks 50 ft, then stops to watch Bob leave home. Assuming the same walking rates as the previous problem, how fast is the angle between a and s changing when Bob is 120 ft from home? Goal. Data. Find d/dt, where is the angle between a and s. Constants: a = 50. Freeze frame: when b = 120. tan = sec2 b b = a 50

Equation. Differentiate. Solve.

d 1 db = dt 50 dt 130 . 50

Freeze frame: s2 = a2 + b2 = 502 + 1202 = 16, 900 = s = 130, sec = sec2 130 50 1 db d = dt 50 dt
2

d 1 = (6) dt 50 50 130
2

d 6 = dt 50

3 rad/sec .02 rad/sec. 169

Similar Triangles
A 5-foot girl is walking toward a 20-foot lamppost at a rate of 6 ft/sec. How fast is the tip of her shadow (cast by the lamp) moving?

20 5 x y s

Goal. Data.

Find dy/dt, where y is the distance from the shadow tip to the lamppost base. Let x represent the distance between the girl and the lamppost. Let s represent the length of the shadow. Given: dx/dt = 6. Constants: height of girl is 5, height of lamppost is 20.

Equation.

Note: y = x + s = s = y x. s y = 5 20 yx y = 5 20 20y 20x = 5y 15y = 20x 3y = 4x (similar triangles)

Differentiate. Solve.

3 3

dx dy =4 dt dt dy = 4(6) = 24 dt dy = 8 ft/sec . dt

How fast is the length of the girls shadow changing when she is 12 feet from the lamppost? Goal. Data. Find ds/dt. Same as previous problem. Freeze frame: when x = 12. y s = 5 20 20s = 5y 4s = y Differentiate. Solve. 4 4 ds dy = dt dt ds = 8 dt

Equation.

ds = 2 ft/sec . dt

More Right Triangle

A 15-foot ladder propped against a wall is sliding along the ground at a rate of 3 ft/sec. How fast is the ladder sliding down the wall when the base of the ladder is 12 feet from the wall?

15

Goal. Data.

Find dy/dt, where y is the distance from the top of the ladder to the ground. Let x represent the distance from the base of the ladder to the wall. Given: dx/dt = 3. Constants: ladder length is 15. Freeze frame: when x = 12.

Equation. Differentiate.

x2 + y 2 = 152 dy dx + 2y =0 2x dt dt dx dy x +y =0 dt dt

(Pythagorean theorem)

Solve.

Freeze frame: x2 + y 2 = 152 = 122 + y 2 = 152 = y = 9. 12(3) + 9 dy =0 dt

dy 36 = = 4 ft/sec . dt 9

How fast is the area of the triangle formed by the ladder, wall and ground changing at this time? Goal. Data. Equation. Differentiate. Find dA/dt, where A is the area of the triangle. Same as previous problem. A= 1 xy 2 x (area of triangle) dy dx +y dt dt

dA 1 = dt 2

Solve.

1 dA = (12(4) + 9(3)) dt 2 dA 1 21 = (48 + 27) = ft2 /sec . dt 2 2

How fast is the angle between the ladder and ground changing at this time? Goal. Data. Equation. Differentiate. Solve. Find d/dt, where is the angle between the ladder and the ground. Same as previous problem. sin = cos y 15

d 1 dy = dt 15 dt 12 4 = . 15 5

Freeze frame: when x = 12, cos = 4 d 1 = (4) 5 dt 15 d 4 5 1 = = rad/sec . dt 15 4 3

S. Chang

CU-Boulder Department of Applied Mathematics