APPLICATIONS

OF CALCULUS (SOLUTIONS)


1 The Point O is the intersection of two roads that cross at right angles as shown.
One car travels towards O from the north at 20ms 1 while the second travels due
east towards O also at 20ms 1 .




20 !!




80

20 !!

100

Show that after t seconds their distance apart, d, is given by

d=

(100 20t )2 + (80 20t )2

80 20

(a)

(b)

Find distance of each from

O at time t then use
Pythagoras for distance
between them.

100 20
Show that this simplifies to

2
2
d 2 = 400 (5 t ) + (4 t )

! = 20(5 ) ! + 20(4 ) !
= 400 5 ! + 400 4 !
= 400[ 5 ! + 4 ! ]

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

(c)
Show, using calculus that the minimum distance between the two cars
is .


! = 400[ 5 ! + 4 ! ]


Minimum distance at

!(! ! )
!"

=0

!(! ! )

!" = 400[2 5 1 + 2 4 1 ]

400[2 5 1 + 2 4 1 ] = 0
800 4000 3200 + 800 = 0

1600 = 7200

!"##
!
= !"## = !



Minimum distance between them is at time = 4.5

! = 400[ 0.5 ! + (0.5)! ]

= 400(0.25 + 0.25)
= 200

=



(d)
Now show, without using calculus, that the minimum distance between
the two cars is

(Using relative velocity)

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS


2
Two straight roads cross at right angles at O. John is running along
one of the roads towards O at ! . Mary is cycling along the
other road at ! . When John is 100 from O, Mary is at O.







24 !!





7 !!
100
O




() Find an expression for the distance, D, between John and Mary.

Distance of John from junction is 100 7

Distance of Mary from junction is 24

! = 100 7 ! + (24)!



Hence find the shortest distance between John and Mary at any
time .

Shortest distance between them is at

!(! ! )
!"

= 0

!(! ! )

!" = 2 100 7 7 + (2)576

2 100 7 7 + 1152 = 0

98 1400 + 1152 = 0

1250 = 1400

! = 100 7 ! + (24)!
!"#$ !

= !"
+
=

!"# !

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

!!

1987 QUESTION 2b: AN ALTERNATIVE TO USING =

A car starts from a point O with an initial speed of 8 ! and then travels
with a uniform acceleration of 4 ! . Two seconds later a second car Q
starts with an initial velocity of 30 ! and then moves with a uniform
acceleration of ! .

Show that after passing P, Q will never be ahead by more than 74m.

Find an expression for the distance travelled by car P at time seconds

!
! = + ! () ! = 8 = 4 = + 2 = !

!
! = 8 + 2 + ! (4) + 2 !

= 8 + 16 + 2 ! + 8 + 8

! = 2 ! + 16 + 24


Find an expression for the distance travelled by car Q at time seconds

!
! = + ! () ! = 30 = 3 = = !

!
! = 30 + ! (3) !

!
! = 30 + ! !


() Find an expression for the distance between the two cars

Let = ! !

!
! ! = 30 + ! ! 2 ! + 16 + 24

!
= ! ! + 14 24


Find the time when distance between them is minimum

!"
!"
Min distance between them at !" = 0 !" = + 14

+ 14 = 0
= 14

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

 () Find minimum distance between them

!
= ! ! + 14 24


!
= 14 = ! 14 ! + 14(14) 24

= 98 + 196 24
=

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

1992 QUESTION 1b

Two particles P and Q are moving in the same direction along parallel
straight lines. Their accelerations are 5 m/s2 and 4 m/s2, respectively.
At a certain instant P has a velocity 1 m/s and Q is 25.5 m behind P moving
with velocity 11 m/s.

(i) Prove that Q will overtake P and that P will in turn overtake Q.
(ii) When Q is in front of P find the greatest distance between the particles.



Find expression for distance travelled by P
!
= + ! ! = 1 = 5
!

! = (1) + ! (5) !


Find expression for distance travelled by Q
!
= + ! ! = 11 = 4
!

! = (11) + ! (4) !


Find an expression for the distance between the particles when Q is in front
of P

= .
Q 25.5
P
!





!



Let distance between them equal D
= ! ! 25.5
= 11 + 2 ! 2.5 ! 25.5
= 0.5 ! + 10 25.5


Find the maximum distance between them
!"
Maximum distance at !" = 0

!"
!" = + 10
+ 10 = 0
=

Maximum distance = 0.5 ! + 10 25.5
= .

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

1997 QUESTION 3b


A particle is projected from a point p with initial speed 15m/s,
down a plane inclined at an angle of 300 to the horizontal.
The direction of projection is at right angles to the inclined
plane.

(The plane of projection is vertical and contains the line of
greatest slope).

Find

(i) the perpendicular height of the particle above the plane after t seconds and
hence, or otherwise, show that the vertical height of the particle above the
plane after t seconds is 10 3 t 4.9t2

(ii) the greatest vertical height it attains above the plane
(i.e. the maximum value of h) correct to two places of decimals.



= 10 3 4.9 !


!!
Maximum height at !" = 0

!!
!" = 10 3 9.8

10 3 9.8 = 0
=

!" !

Maximum height = 10 3 !.!

!""
!"#
= !.! !.!

= .

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS

4.9

!" !
!.!
!" !
!.!

APPLICATIONS OF CALCULUS