Solving Practical Problems

This method of finding maxima and minima is very useful and can be used to
find the maximum and minimum values of all sorts of things.
Example:
Find the least area of metal required to make a cylindrical container from thin
sheet metal in order that it might have a capacity of 2000cm.
The total surface area of the cylinder, S, is 2r + 2rh
The volume = rh = 2000
Therefore rh = 2000.
Therefore h = 2000/r
Therefore S = 2r + 2r( 2000/r )
= 2r + 4000
r
So we have an expression for the surface area. To find when the surface area is
a minimum, we need to find dS/dr
dS = 4r - 4000
dr
r
When dS/dr = 0:
4r - (4000)/r = 0
Therefore 4r = 4000p
r
So 4r = 4000
So r = 1000
So r = 10

You should then check that this is indeed a minimum using the technique above.
So the minimum area occurs when r = 10. This minimum area is found by
substituting into the equation for the area the value of r = 10.
S = 2r + 4000
r
= 2(10) + 4000
10
= 200 + 400
= 600
Therefore the minimum amount of metal required is 600 cm

Example 1 We need to enclose a field with a fence. We have 500 feet of fencing material and a
building is on one side of the field and so wont need any fencing. Determine the dimensions of the
field that will enclose the largest area.
Solution
In all of these problems we will have two functions. The first is the function that we are actually
trying to optimize and the second will be the constraint. Sketching the situation will often help us to
arrive at these equations so lets do that.

In this problem we want to maximize the area of a field and we know that will use 500 ft of fencing
material. So, the area will be the function we are trying to optimize and the amount of fencing is the
constraint. The two equations for these are,

Okay, we know how to find the largest or smallest value of a function provided its only got a single
variable. The area function (as well as the constraint) has two variables in it and so what we know
about finding absolute extrema wont work. However, if we solve the constraint for one of the two
variables we can substitute this into the area and we will then have a function of a single variable.
So, lets solve the constraint for x. Note that we could have just as easily solved for y but that would
have led to fractions and so, in this case, solving for x will probably be best.

Substituting this into the area function gives a function of y.

Now we want to find the largest value this will have on the interval [0,250]. Note that the interval
corresponds to taking
(i.e. no sides to the fence) and
(i.e. only two sides and no width, also if there are two sides each must be 250 ft to use the whole
500ft).
Note that the endpoints of the interval wont make any sense from a physical standpoint if we actually
want to enclose some area because they would both give zero area. They do, however, give us a set of
limits on y and so the Extreme Value Theorem tells us that we will have a maximum value of the
area somewhere between the two endpoints. Having these limits will also mean that we can use the
process we discussed in the Finding Absolute Extrema section earlier in the chapter to find the
maximum value of the area.
So, recall that the maximum value of a continuous function (which weve got here) on a closed
interval (which we also have here) will occur at critical points and/or end points. As weve already
pointed out the end points in this case will give zero area and so dont make any sense. That means
our only option will be the critical points.
So lets get the derivative and find the critical points.

Setting this equal to zero and solving gives a lone critical point of
.
2
Plugging this into the area gives an area of 31250 ft . So according to the method from Absolute
Extrema section this must be the largest possible area, since the area at either endpoint is zero.
Finally, lets not forget to get the value of x and then well have the dimensions since this is what the
problem statement asked for. We can get the x by plugging in our y into the constraint.

The dimensions of the field that will give the largest area, subject to the fact that we used exactly 500
ft of fencing material, are 250 x 125.
Dont forget to actually read the problem and give the answer that was asked for. These types of
problems can take a fair amount of time/effort to solve and its not hard to sometimes forget what the
problem was actually asking for.

example 1 Determine the volume of the solid obtained by rotating the region
bounded by
about the y-axis.

and the x-axis

Solution
As we did in the previous section, lets first graph the bounded region and solid.
Note that the bounded region here is the shaded portion shown. The curve is
extended out a little past this for the purposes of illustrating what the curve looks
like.

So, weve basically got something thats roughly doughnut shaped. If we were to
use rings on this solid here is what a typical ring would look like.

This leads to several problems. First, both the inner and outer radius are defined
by the same function. This, in itself, can be dealt with on occasion as we saw in a
example in the Area Between Curves section. However, this usually means more
work than other methods so its often not the best approach.
This leads to the second problem we got here. In order to use rings we would need
to put this function into the form
. That is NOT easy
in general for a cubic polynomial and in other cases may not even be possible to
do. Even when it is possible to do this the resulting equation is often significantly
messier than the original which can also cause problems.
The last problem with rings in this case is not so much a problem as it's just added
work. If we were to use rings the limit would be y limits and this means that we
will need to know how high the graph goes. To this point the limits of integration
have always been intersection points that were fairly easy to find. However, in this
case the highest point is not an intersection point, but instead a relative maximum.
We spent several sections in the Applications of Derivatives chapter talking about
how to find maximum values of functions. However, finding them can, on
occasion, take some work.
So, weve seen three problems with rings in this case that will either increase our
work load or outright prevent us from using rings.
What we need to do is to find a different way to cut the solid that will give us a
cross-sectional area that we can work with. One way to do this is to think of our
solid as a lump of cookie dough and instead of cutting it perpendicular to the axis
of rotation we could instead center a cylindrical cookie cutter on the axis of
rotation and push this down into the solid. Doing this would give the following
picture,

Doing this gives us a cylinder or shell in the object and we can easily find its
surface area. The surface area of this cylinder is,

Notice as well that as we increase the radius of the cylinder we will completely
cover the solid and so we can use this in our formula to find the volume of this
solid. All we need are limits of integration. The first cylinder will cut into the
solid at
and as we increase x to
we will completely
cover both sides of the solid since expanding the cylinder in one direction will
automatically expand it in the other direction as well.
The volume of this solid is then,

Volume of a wine cask

A wine cask has a radius at the top of 30 cm and a radius at the middle of 40 cm.
The height of the cask is 1 m. What is the volume of the cask (in L), assuming that
the shape of the sides is parabolic?
We will lay the cask on its side to make the algebra easier:

We need to find the equation of a parabola with vertex at (0,40) and passing
through (50,30).

We use the formula:

(x h)2 = 4a(y k)
Now (h, k) is (0, 40) so we have: x2 = 4a(y 40) and the parabola passes
through (50, 30), so
(50)2 = 4a(30 40)
2500 = 4a(10) and this gives 4a = 250
So the equation of the side of the barrel is
x2 = -250(y 40), that is,
y=250x2+40
We need to find the volume of the cask which is generated when we rotate this
parabola between x = -50 and x = 50 around the x-axis.

We now apply the formula for the volume of a solid of revolution:

Vol=aby2 dx
=5050(250x2+40)2dx
=5050(62500x425080x2+1600)dx
=[312500x575080x3+1600x]5050
Now, since
(50)5 = 505,

(50)3 = 503, and

(50) = 50,
we can reduce the amount of writing somewhat and put:
Vol=2[312500(50)575080(50)3+1600(50)]
=425162 cm3
=425.2 L
So the wine cask will hold 425.2 L.

Volume of a watermelon

A watermelon has an ellipsoidal shape with major axis 28 cm and minor

axis 25 cm. Find its volume.
Historical Approach: Before calculus, one way of approximating the
volume would be to slice the watermelon (say in 2 cm thick slices) and add
up the volumes of each slice usingV=r2h.
Interestingly, Archimedes (the one who famously jumped out of his bath
and ran down the street shouting "Eureka! I've got it") used this approach to
find volumes of spheres around 200 BC. The technique was almost
forgotten until the early 1700s when calculus was developed by Newton
and Leibniz.
We see how to do the problem using both approaches.
Volume using historical method:

Answer

Because the melon is symmetrical, we can work out the volume of one half
of the melon, and then double our answer.
The radii for the slices for one half of a particular watermelon are found
from measurement to be:

0,6.4,8.7, 10.3,11.3, 12.0,12.4,12.5.

The approximate volume for one half of the melon using slices 2 cm thick
would be:

Vhalf=[6.42+8.72+10.32+11.32+12.02+12.42+12.5
2]2
=8040.442
=5054.4
So the volume for the whole watermelon is about

5054.42=10109 cm3=10.1 L.
In the following question, we see how to find the "exact" value using the
volume of solid of revolution formula.

Radius of Curvature
By M. Bourne

We can draw a circle that closely fits nearby points on a local section of a curve, as follows.

Application - Radius of Curvature

When engineers design train tracks, they need to ensure the curvature of the track will be safe and
provide a comfortable ride for the given speed of the trains. [Imagesource].

We say the curve and the circle osculate (which means "to kiss"), since the 2 curves have the
same tangent and curvature at the point where they meet.
The radius of curvature of the curve at a particular point is defined as the radius of the
approximating circle. This radius changes as we move along the curve.
How do we find this changing radius of curvature?
The formula for the radius of curvature at any point x for the curve y = f(x) is given by:

Radius of curvature=dx2d2y[1+(dxdy)2]3/2
Proof

The curvature of a given curve at a particular point is the curvature of the

approximating circle at that point.
The curvature depends on the radius - the smaller the radius, the greater
the curvature (approaching a point at the extreme) and the larger the
radius, the smaller the curvature. (A very large approximating circle means
the curve is almost a straight line at that point.)
The radius of curvature R is simply the reciprocal of the curvature, K. That
is,

R=K1
So we'll proceed to find the curvature first, then the radius will just be the
reciprocal of that curvature.

Let P and P1 be 2 points on a curve, "very close" together, as shown.

s is the length of the arc PP1.

is the angle turned by the tangent line as it moves from P to P1.
The curvature of the arc from P to P1 is given by

s
Now, the curvature K at point P is given by:

K=0lims=dsd
We now need to find dsd and we use the Chain Rule: dsd=dxd

dsdx
Note that tan

=dxdy, so =arctan(dxdy)

Returning to our formula, dxd=dxdarctan(dxdy)

In the Differentiation of Transcendental Functions chapter we'll learn the

derivative of y=arctan u, whereu=f(x), is given by dxdy=1+u2
dxdu

With u=arctan(dxdy) we differentiate as follows:

dxd=dxdarctan(dxdy)
=1+(dxdy)2dxd(dxdy)
=1+(dxdy)2dx2d2y
We also need dsdx, which is given by:

dsdx=dxds1=1+(dxdy)21
Putting it all together gives us the formula for curvature, K:

K=dsd=[1+(dxdy)2]23dx2d2y
Now the radius of curvature is just the reciprocal of this expression, that is:

R=dx2d2y[1+(dxdy)2]3/2
Of course, the radius needs to be positive, so we take the absolute value of
the denominator (bottom) of the fraction.

R=dx2d2y[1+(dxdy)2]3/2

Arc length for the inner curve of a window

By Murray Bourne, 06 Jan 2010

A reader who works for a glass company (true story) wrote to me recently and
asked how to solve the following.
Ive got to make a window with a curved top. The width of the frame is the same
all round, including the part around the curved portion.
Whats a formula for the length of the inner arc of the curved portion?

The required length is labeled HI in the diagram.

(This is not quite a Norman window, since its not a semi-circle on top.)
This is a typical real life question, in that we dont have a lot of information to
go on, so well need to make some assumptions.

Solution - Example
Lets consider a plausible example first. We assume the curves are arcs of
circles. (They looked circular in the question. If they are not circles we could
adjust later, but for the sake of the example, well stick to this reasonable
assumption.)
Let the total frame (length CD) be say 4 units wide and the edges of the frame
be 0.3 units wide. I pick a point P in the center (horizontally) of the frame (I
choose point P (2,1)), and draw 2 concentric circles, 0.3 units apart. The outer
one is 5 units, the inner one 4.7 units. I could have chosen any radii for my
concentric circles, of course, as long as the inner and outer radii differ by 0.3
units.

If I can find angle , it will be straightforward to find the arc length HI.
First, we find angle by using the right triangle PMI.

cos = 1.7 / 4.7 = 0.3617

Using the inverse ratio, we get that

= arccos (0.3617) = 1.2007 (radians, of course. If we need degrees, it equals

68.79)
[Why radians? They are more commonly used in science and engineering than
degrees, and are best for this problem. For more, see Radians.]
Now we observe that 2 + = (180), since they lie on a straight line.
So angle = - 2 1.2007 = 0.7402
To find the arc length HI, we just apply the arc length formula

s=r
(See arc length formula)

s = 4.7 0.7402

= 3.4789
So the required arc length is 3.48 units (correct to 2 decimal places).

General Solution
Let the total width (window and frame) = 2x, giving
Let the edges of the frame have width

x for half the width.

w.

The circles have radius R (outer) and r = R - w (inner).

Angle = arccos ((x

- w) / r)

Angle = - 2 (in radians)

Arclength HI is given by

s=r
= r ( - 2 (arccos ((x - w) /r)))
This is the formula required by the glass manufacturer.