Solutions to the

2011 AP Calculus BC, Form B,

Free Response Questions
Louis A. Talman, Ph.D.
Department of Mathematical & Computer Sciences
Metropolitan State College of Denver

Problem 1
(a)
According to the model, the height of the water in the can at the end of the 60-day period is
-2

60

0 @2 sinH0.03 tL + 1.5D t = B 0.03 cosH 0.03 tL + 1.5 tF

60
0

470
3

200
3

cos

9
5

(b)
The average rate of change in the height of water in the can over the 60-day period is given by

60
1
S ' HtL t
60 0

47
18

10
9

cos 5 ,

where we have inserted the value of the integral obtained in part (a).
(c)
The volume V of water in the can at time t is given by VHtL = 100 p SHtL, so V ' HtL = 100 p S ' HtL. Consequently,
V ' H7L = 100 p S ' H7L = 150 p + 200 p sin

21
100

cubic millimeters per second.

(d)
We have M ' HtL =

1
400

I9 t2 - 60 t + 330M. Using S ' HtL as given, we find that DH0L = M ' H0L - S ' H0L =

DH60L = M ' H60L - S ' H60L =

2853
40

- 2 sin

9
5

>

2853
40

33
40

3
2

27

= - 40 < 0, while

- 2 > 69 > 0. Because D is a continuous function on @0, 60D, it follows from

the Intermediate Value Theorem that there is a time t0 H0, 60L such that DHt0 L = 0, which is to say that M ' Ht0 L = S ' Ht0 L, or the
two rates are the same.

BC2011B_2.nb

Problem 2
(a)
The area of the polar curve r = rHqL corresponding to the interval a q b is given by
1 p
@3 q
2 p2

Out[1]=

q, so we must evaluate

+ sin qD2 q. The exact area is

1
In[1]:=

1 b
@rHqLD2
2 a

H3 q + Sin@qDL2 q Expand

p2

-3 +

25 p
8

21 p3
16

This is about
In[2]:=
Out[2]=

N@%D
47.51321518536162

Numeric integration yields substantially the same result:

1
In[3]:=
Out[3]=

NIntegrateAH3 q + Sin@qDL2 , 8q, p 2, p<E

47.51321518536167

(b)
We are to solve the equation r(q) cos q = (3 q + sin q L cos q -3, for q between p/2 and p. To this end, let
f HqL = H3 q + sin qL cos q + 3. We apply Newton's method to solve the equation f HqL = 0. We take q0 = 1.963 ~ 5 p 8 as our
initial approximation.
In[4]:=
Out[4]=
In[5]:=
Out[5]=

f@q_D = H3 q + Sin@qDL Cos@qD + 3

3 + Cos@qD H3 q + Sin@qDL
q@0D = 1.963
1.963

In[6]:=

q@n_D := q@n - 1D -

In[7]:=

q@1D

Out[7]=
In[8]:=
Out[8]=
In[9]:=
Out[9]=

f@q@n - 1DD
f '@q@n - 1DD

2.017256072070921
q@2D
2.016923431387579
q@3D
2.016923422074691

To the nearest thousandth, the solution we seek is q = 2.017. The y-coordinate of the point P is then
(3 q + sin q) sin q, or

BC2011B_2.nb

To the nearest thousandth, the solution we seek is q = 2.017. The y-coordinate of the point P is then
(3 q + sin q) sin q, or
In[10]:=

H3 q@4D + Sin@q@4DDL Sin@q@4DD

Out[10]=

6.272380054023115

To the nearest thousandth, y = 6.272.

(c)
We have yHqL = rHqL sin q, so that y ' HqL = r ' HqL sin q + rHqL cos q.
In[11]:=

y@q_D = H3 q + Sin@qDL Sin@qD

Out[11]=

Sin@qD H3 q + Sin@qDL

When q = 2 p 3, this gives

In[12]:=

y 'B

y
t

pF Expand

3 -p

Out[12]=

But

y
q

q
,
t

and

q
t

is given as 2. Thus, when q = 2 p 3, we have

y
t

= 2 J 3 - pN. This is the y-component of the

velocity of the particle at the instant in question; it is negative, so the particle is moving downward.

Problem 3
(a)
4

The area of the pictured region R is 0

x x + 4 H6 - xL x =

2
3

x32

4
0

+ J6 x -

x2 6
N
2 4

16
3

+2=

22
3

(b)
A cross-section of this solid perpendicular to the y-axis at y = t is a rectangle whose height is 2 t and whose base extends from
the curve x = y2 to the curve x = 6 - y. The area of such a cross-section is therefore 2 t AH6 - tL - t2 E, so the required integral
2

is 2 0 t AH6 - tL - t2 E t.
Note: It is not required to evaluate the integral. However, the curious may wish to know that the volume is

32
.
3

(c)
The slope of the line y = 6 - x is -1, so we seek a point on the curve y =
x-12 = 2, or x =

Problem 4

1
.
4

The point P therefore has coordinates I 4 ,

1
M.
2

x where y ' = 1. But y ' =

1
2

x-12 = 1 when

BC2011B_2.nb

Problem 4
(a)
The average value of f over @0, 5D is

1 5
f HxL x
5 0

= - 5 10 = -2.

(b)
10

We have 0 @3 f HxL + 2D x
10

10

= 3 0 f HxL x + 2 0 x
5

10

= 3B0 f HxL x + 5 f HxL xF + 2 x

10
0

= 3[-10 + 27] + 20 = 71.

(c)
x

If gHxL = 5 f HtL t, then g ' HxL = f HxL, by the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. But f HxL < 0 for all x H0, 5L, and for all so
g is increasing on @0, 5D. The derivative f ' can change sign only at the critical points x = 3 and x = 8, so from the fact, evident
from the graph and what is given, that f has a minimum at x = 3 and a maximum at x = 8, we see that f ', which is g '', must be
positive on H3, 8L. It follows that g is concave upward on H3, 8L, or, depending upon how upward concavity is defined, possibly
on @3, 8D. It follows that g is both increasing and concave upward on H3, 5D, or, for some definitions of upward concavity, on
@3, 5D.
(d)
20

The required arc-length is given by 0

1 + A f ' I 2 ME t. Taking x =

t
,
2

we find that 2 x = t, that x = 0 when t = 0, and

that x = 10 when t = 20. Consequently, we may replace the integral in the first sentence of this paragraph by
10

1 + @ f ' HxLD2 x =

2 0

2B0

10

1 + @ f ' HxLD2 x + 5

1 + @ f ' HxLD2 xF =

2 H11 + 18L = 58,

the values of the last two of these integrals having been given in the statement of the problem.

Problem 5
(a)
Ben's acceleration at time t = 5 is approximately @vH10L - vH0LD H10 - 0L = H2.3 - 2.0L 10 = 0.03 meters per second per
second.
(b)

BC2011B_2.nb

(b)
60

The integral 0
60

vHtL t is the integral of Ben's speed. It measures the total distance he has traveled when 0 t 60. We have

vHtL t ~ 2.0 H10 - 0L + 2.3 H40 - 10L + 2.5 H60 - 40L = 139, so the total distance Ben traveled during this minute is

about 139 meters.

(c)
We have @BH60L - BH40LD H60 - 40L = H49 - 9L H60 - 40L = 40 20 = 2. By the Mean Value Theorem, there must be a time
t0 H40, 60L when vHt0 L = 2. [Note: We may apply the Mean Value Theorem here because we are given that B is a twice
differentiable function. Consequently, B is continuous on @40, 60D and differentiable on H40, 60L, and these are precisely the
conditions that the hypotheses of the Mean Value Theorem require.]
(d)
5

From L2 = 144 + B2 , we find that 2 L L ' = 2 B B ' = 2 B v. Thus, when t = 40, we have 2 L L ' = 2 B v = 2 9 2 = 45. However, when t = 40, we also have L2 = 144 + 81 = 225, or L = 15. Thus, at t = 40, 45 = 2 L L ' = 2 15 L ', or L ' =

3
2

meters

per second.

Problem 6
(a)
We may substitute x3 for x in the Maclaurin series for lnH1 + xL to obtain that for f . The Maclaurin series for f HxL = lnI1 + x3 M
is therefore
x6
2

x3 -

x9
3

x12
4

+ + H-1Ln+1

x3 n
n

+ .

(b)
The series for f must converge in the open interval H-1, 1L because x = 0 is the center of the expansion and the radius of
convergence is given to be 1.
The only real issue is whether or not the series for f converges at the endpoints. When x = 1, the series becomes
1-

1
2

-1 -

+
1
2

1
3

1
4

1
3

+ which is the convergent alternating harmonic series.

1
4

- , which is the negative of the divergent harmonic series, and therefore diverges.

The interval of convergence for the Maclaurin series for f is therefore H-1, 1D.

When x = -1, the series becomes

BC2011B_2.nb

(c)
The Maclaurin series for f ' is
3 x2 - 3 x5 + 3 x8 - 3 x11 + + H-1Ln+1 3 x3 n-1 + .
Consequently, the first four nonzero terms of the Maclaurin series for f ' It2 M are
3 t4 - 3 t10 + 3 t16 - 3 t22 .
1

Replacing f ' It2 M with the first two terms of this series in 0 f ' It2 M t gives
1

4
10
0 I3 t - 3 t M t =

3 5
t
5

3 11 1
t 0
11

3
5

3
11

18
.
55

(d)
The Maclaurin series for g begins with the terms
3
5

x5 -

3
11

x11 +

3
17

x17 ,

and we have been given that the series meets the hypotheses of the Alternating Series Test. We used the first two terms above to
approximate gH1L in part (c) above. Hence the error in our approximation is bounded by the magnitude of the third term, which is
3
17

<

3
15

1
5

when x = 1.

[Note: In fact, it can be shown that

1

2
0 f ' It M t =

1
B2 p
4

3 ln J7 - 4

3 NF ~ 0.430277332343,

so the approximation of part (c) is a pretty miserable one.]