S E C T I O N 3.

11 Related Rates 167

3.11 Related Rates

Preliminary Questions
1. Assign variables and restate the following problem in terms of known and unknown derivatives (but do not solve it):
How fast is the volume of a cube increasing if its side increases at a rate of 0.5 cm/s?
SOLUTION Let s and V denote the length of the side and the corresponding volume of a cube, respectively. Determine
d V if ds = 0.5 cm/s.
dt dt
2. What is the relation between d V /dt and dr/dt if
! "
4
V = πr 3
3

SOLUTION Applying the general power rule, we find ddtV = 4π r 2 dr

dt .
In Questions 3–4, suppose that water pours into a cylindrical glass of radius 4 cm. The variables V and h denote the
volume and water level at time t, respectively.
3. Restate in terms of the derivatives d V /dt and dh/dt: How fast is the water level rising if water pours in at a rate of
2 cm3 /min?
SOLUTION Determine dh dV 3
dt if dt = 2 cm /min.
4. Repeat the same for this problem: At what rate is water pouring in if the water level rises at a rate of 1 cm/min?
SOLUTION Determine ddtV if dh
dt = 1 cm/min.

Exercises
In Exercises 1–2, consider a rectangular bathtub whose base is 18 ft2 .

1. How fast is the water level rising if water is filling the tub at a rate of 0.7 ft3 /min?
SOLUTION Let h be the height of the water in the tub and V be the volume of the water. Then V = 18h and
dV dh
= 18 . Thus
dt dt
dh 1 dV 1
= = (.7) ≈ .039 ft/min.
dt 18 dt 18

3. The radius of a circular oil slick expands at a rate of 2 m/min.

At what rate is water pouring into the tub if the water level rises at a rate of 0.8 ft/min?
(a) How fast is the area of the oil slick increasing when the radius is 25 m?
(b) If the radius is 0 at time t = 0, how fast is the area increasing after 3 min?
SOLUTION Let r be the radius of the oil slick and A its area.
dA dr
(a) Then A = π r 2 and = 2π r . Substituting r = 25 and dr dt = 2, we find
dt dt
dA
= 2π (25) (2) = 100π ≈ 314.16 m2 /min.
dt
(b) Since dr
dt = 2 and r (0) = 0, it follows that r (t) = 2t. Thus, r (3) = 6 and
dA
= 2π (6) (2) = 24π ≈ 75.40 m2 /min.
dt

In Exercises
At what5–8,rate
assume
is the that the radius
diagonal r ofincreasing
of a cube a sphere isif expanding at increasing
its edges are a rate of 14
at in./min.
a rate of The volume of a sphere is
2 cm/s?
V = 43 π r 3 and its surface area is 4π r 2 .
5. Determine the rate at which the volume is changing with respect to time when r = 8 in.
SOLUTION As the radius is expanding at 14 inches per minute, we know that dr d
dt = 14 in./min. Taking dt of the
4 3
equation V = 3 π r yields
! "
dV 4 2 dr dr
= π 3r = 4π r 2 .
dt 3 dt dt

Substituting r = 8 and dr
dt = 14 yields
dV
= 4π (8)2 (14) = 3584π in.3 /min.
dt
168 CHAPTER 3 D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N

7. Determine the rate at which the surface area is changing when the radius is r = 8 in.
Determine the rate at which the volume is changing with respect to time at t = 2 min, assuming that r = 0 at
t = 0.
SOLUTION Taking the derivative of both sides of A = 4π r 2 with respect to t yields ddtA = 8π r dr dr
dt . dt = 14, so

dA
= 8π (8)(14) = 896π in.2 /min.
dt

9. A road perpendicular to a highway leads to a farmhouse located 1 mile away (Figure 9). An automobile travels past
Determine the rate at which the surface area is changing with respect to time at t = 2 min, assuming that r = 3
the farmhouse at a speed of 60 mph. How fast is the distance between the automobile and the farmhouse increasing when
at t = 0.
the automobile is 3 miles past the intersection of the highway and the road?

l
60 mph

Automobile
FIGURE 9

SOLUTION Let l denote the distance between the automobile and the farmhouse, and let s denote the distance past the
intersection of the highway and the road. Then l 2 = 1 + s 2 . Taking the derivative of both sides of this equation yields
dl = 2s ds , so
2l dt dt

dl s ds
= .
dt l dt
When the auto is 3 miles past the intersection, we have
dl 3 · 60 180 √
= # = √ = 18 10 ≈ 56.92 mph.
dt 12 + 32 10

11. Follow the same set-up as Exercise 10, but assume that the water level is rising at a rate of 0.3 m/min when it is 2 m.
3
At whatArate
conical tankflowing
is water has height
in? 3 m and radius 2 m at the top. Water flows in at a rate of 2 m /min. How fast is the
water level rising when it is 2 m?
SOLUTION Consider the cone of water in the tank at a certain instant. Let r be the radius of its (inverted) base, h its
height, and V its volume. By similar triangles, hr = 23 or r = 23 h and thus V = 13 π r 2 h = 27
4 π h 3 . Accordingly,

dV 4 dh
= π h2 .
dt 9 dt

Substituting h = 2 and dh
dt = 0.3 yields

dV 4
= π (2)2 (.3) ≈ 1.68 m3 /min.
dt 9

13. Answer (a) and (b) in Exercise 12 assuming that Sonya begins moving 1 minute after Isaac takes off.
Sonya and Isaac are in motorboats located at the center of a lake. At time t = 0, Sonya begins traveling south at
a speed ofWith
SOLUTION IsaacAtx the
32 mph. miles easttime,
same of the center
Isaac of the
takes off, lake and Sonya
heading miles south
east at ya speed of its center, let h be the distance
of 27 mph.
between them.
(a) How far have Sonya and Isaac each traveled after 12 min?
(a) After 12 = 1 hour, Isaac has traveled 1 × 27 = 27 miles. After 11 minutes or 11 hour, Sonya has
(b) At12what
minutes
rate isorthe
60 distance
5 between them increasing 5 at t = 125 min? 60
11 88
traveled 60 × 32 = 15 miles.
dh dx dy
(b) We have h 2 = x 2 + y 2 and 2h = 2x + 2y . Thus,
dt dt dt

dh x d x + y ddty x d x + y ddty
= dt = #dt .
dt h x 2 + y2
dy
Substituting x = 27 dx 88
5 , dt = 27, y = 15 , and dt = 32 yields
$ % $ %
27 (27) + 88 (32)
dh 5 15 5003
= &$ % $ %2 = √14305 ≈ 41.83 mph.
dt 27 2
5 + 88
15

15. At a given moment, a plane passes directly above a radar station at an altitude of 6 miles.
A 6-ft man walks away from a 15-ft lamppost at a speed of 3 ft/s (Figure 10). Find the rate at which his shadow
is increasing in length.
 S E C T I O N 3.11 Related Rates 169

(a) If the plane’s speed is 500 mph, how fast is the distance between the plane and the station changing half an hour
later?
(b) How fast is the distance between the plane and the station changing when the plane passes directly above the station?
SOLUTION Let x be the distance of the plane from the station along the ground and h the distance through the air.
(a) By the Pythagorean Theorem, we have
h 2 = x 2 + 62 = x 2 + 36.
dh dx dh x dx #
Thus 2h = 2x , and = . After an half hour, x = 12 × 500 = 250 miles. With x = 250, h = 2502 + 36,
dt dt dt h dt
and ddtx = 500,
dh 250
= # × 500 ≈ 499.86 mph.
dt 2502 + 36
(b) When the plane is directly above the station, x = 0, so the distance between the plane and the station is not changing,
for at this instant we have
dh 0
= × 500 = 0 mph.
dt 6

17. A hot air balloon rising vertically is tracked by an observer located 2 miles from the lift-off point. At a certain
In the setting of Exercise 15, suppose that the line through the radar station and the plane makes an angle θ with
moment, the angle between the observer’s line-of-sight and the horizontal is π5 , and it is changing at a rate of 0.2 rad/min.
the horizontal. How fast is θ changing 10 min after the plane passes over the radar station?
How fast is the balloon rising at this moment?
SOLUTION Let y be the height of the balloon (in miles) and θ the angle between the line-of-sight and the horizontal.
y
Via trigonometry, we have tan θ = . Therefore,
2
dθ 1 dy
sec2 θ · = ,
dt 2 dt
and
dy dθ
=2 sec2 θ .
dt dt
Using ddtθ = 0.2 and θ = π5 yields
dy 1
= 2 (.2) ≈ .61 mi/min.
dt cos2 (π /5)

In Exercises
As a 19–23, referaway
man walks to a 16-ft
from ladder
a 12-ftsliding down
lamppost, thea tip
wall,
of as
hisinshadow
Figuresmoves
1 and twice
2. Theasvariable h isdoes.
fast as he the height
What of
is the
the
ladder’s top at time
man’s height? t, and x is the distance from the wall to the ladder’s bottom.
19. Assume the bottom slides away from the wall at a rate of 3 ft/s. Find the velocity of the top of the ladder at t = 2 if
the bottom is 5 ft from the wall at t = 0.
SOLUTION Let x denote the distance from the base of the ladder to the wall, and h denote the height of the top of the
ladder from the floor. The ladder is 16 ft long, so h 2 + x 2 = 162 . At any time t, x = 5 + 3t. Therefore, at time t = 2,
the base is x = 5 + 3(2) = 11 ft from the wall. Furthermore, we have
dh dx dh x dx
2h + 2x =0 so =− .
dt dt dt h dt
#
Substituting x = 11, h = 162 − 112 and ddtx = 3, we obtain
dh 11 11
= −# (3) = − √ ft/s ≈ −2.84 ft/s.
dt 162 − 112 15

21. Suppose that h(0) = 12 and the top slides down the wall at a rate of 4 ft/s. Calculate x and d x/dt at t = 2 s.
Suppose that the top is sliding down the wall at a rate of 4 ft/s. Calculate d x/dt when h = 12.
SOLUTION Let h and x be the height of the ladder’s top and the distance from the wall of the ladder’s bottom, respec-
tively. After 2 seconds, h = 12 + 2 (−4) = 4 ft. Since h 2 + x 2 = 162 ,
# √
x = 162 − 42 = 4 15 ft.
dh dx dx h dh √
Furthermore, we have 2h + 2x = 0, so that =− . Substituting h = 4, x = 4 15, and dh
dt = −4, we
dt dt dt x dt
find
dx 4 4
= − √ (−4) = √ ≈ 1.03 ft/s.
dt 4 15 15
170 CHAPTER 3 D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N

23. WhatShow
is thethat the velocity
relation h andapproaches
betweendh/dt infinitywhen
x at the moment as thethe
ladder slides
top and down of
bottom to the ground (assuming
ladder move at thedsame
x/dt
is constant).
speed? This suggests that our mathematical description is unrealistic, at least for small values of h. What would, in
fact, happen as the top of the ladder approaches the ground?
SOLUTION Let L be the (constant) length of the ladder, let x be the distance from the base of the ladder to the point
of contact of the ladder with the ground, and let h be the height of the point of contact of the ladder with the wall. By
Pythagoras’ theorem,

x 2 + h2 = L 2.

Taking derivatives with respect to t yields:

dx dh
2x + 2h = 0.
dt dt
Therefore,
dh x dx
=− .
dt h dt
As ddtx is constant and positive and x approaches the length of the ladder as it falls, − hx ddtx gets arbitrarily large as h → 0.
In a real situation, the top of the ladder would slide down the wall only part of the way. At some point it would lose
contact with the wall and fall down freely with acceleration g.
25. Suppose that both the radius r and height h of a circular cone change at a rate of 2 cm/s. How fast is the volume of
The radius r of a right circular cone of fixed height h = 20 cm is increasing at a rate of 2 cm/s. How fast is the
the cone increasing when r = 10 and h = 20?
volume increasing when r = 10? 1
SOLUTION Let r be the radius, h be the height, and V be the volume of a right circular cone. Then V = 3 π r 2 h, and
! "
dV 1 dh dr
= π r2 + 2hr .
dt 3 dt dt

When r = 10, h = 20, and dr dh

dt = dt = 2, we find
dV π$ 2 % 1000π
= 10 · 2 + 2 · 20 · 10 · 2 = ≈ 1047.20 cm3 /s.
dt 3 3

27. A searchlight rotates at a rate of 3 revolutions per minute. The beam hits a wall located 10 miles away and produces
2 + 16y 2 = 25 (Figure 11).
a dot ofAlight
particle
that moves
moves counterclockwise
horizontally alongaround the How
the wall. ellipse 9xis
fast this dot moving when the angle θ between the beam
and the line through the searchlight perpendicular to the wall is π6 ? Note that d θ /dt = 3(2π ) = 6π .
SOLUTION Let y be the distance between the dot of light and the point of intersection of the wall and the line through
the searchlight perpendicular
(a) In which of the four quadrants the θderivative
to the wall.is Let be the angle between
d x/dt the Explain
positive? beam ofyour
lightanswer.
and the line. Using trigonometry,
y
we have tan θ = . Therefore,
(b) Find a relation
10 between d x/dt and d y/dt.
(c) At what rate is the x-coordinate changing when the
d θparticle
1 passes
dy the point (1, 1) if its y-coordinate is increasing
at a rate of 6 ft/s? sec2 θ · = ,
dt 10 dt
(d) What is d y/dt when the particle is at the top and bottom of the ellipse?
and
dy dθ
= 10 sec2 θ .
dt dt
With θ = π6 and ddtθ = 6π , we find

dy 1
= 10 (6π ) = 80π ≈ 251.33 mi/min ≈ 15,079.64 mph.
dt cos2 (π /6)

29. A plane traveling at an altitude of 20,000 ft passes directly overhead at time t = 0. One minute later you observe
A rocket travels vertically at a speed of 800 mph. The rocket is tracked through a telescope by an observer located
that the angle between the vertical and your line of sight to the plane is 1.14 rad and that this angle is changing at a rate
10 miles from the launching pad. Find the rate at which the angle between the telescope and the ground is increasing
of 0.38 rad/min. Calculate the velocity of the airplane.
3 min after lift-off.
SOLUTION Let x be the distance of the plane from you along the ground and θ the angle between the vertical and your
line of sight to the plane. Then tan θ = 20000x and

dx dθ
= 20000 sec2 θ · .
dt dt
Substituting θ = 1.14 and ddtθ = 0.38, we find

dx 20000
= (.38) ≈ 43581.69 ft/min
dt cos2 (1.14)
or roughly 495.25 mph.
 S E C T I O N 3.11 Related Rates 171

31. A jogger runs around a circular track of radius 60 ft. Let (x, y) be her coordinates, where the origin is at the center
Calculate 2 /s) at which area is swept out by the second hand of a circular clock as a function of
of the track. Whenthe
therate (in cmcoordinates
jogger’s are (36, 48), her x-coordinate is changing at a rate of 14 ft/s. Find d y/dt.
the clock’s radius.
dx dy dy x dx
SOLUTION We have x 2 + y 2 = 602 . Thus 2x + 2y = 0, and =− . With x = 36, y = 48, and
dt dt dt y dt
d x = 14,
dt

dy 36 21
= − (14) = − = −10.5 ft/s.
dt 48 2

In Exercises
A car33–34,
travels assume
down a that the pressure
highway P (in
at 55 mph. An kilopascals) and volume
observer is standing V from
500 ft (in cubic centimeters) of an expanding
the highway.
gas are related by P V b = C, where b and C are constants (this holds in adiabatic expansion, without heat gain or loss).
(a) How fast is the distance between the observer and the car increasing at the moment the car passes in front of the
observer?
33. Find d P/dtCanif byou
= justify
1.2, P your answer
= 8 kPa, V =without
100 cmrelying
2 , and on
d Vany
/dt calculations?
= 20 cm3 /min.
(b) How fast is the distance between the observer and the car increasing 1 min later?
SOLUTION Let P V b = C. Then

dV dP
PbV b−1 + Vb = 0,
dt dt
and
dP Pb d V
=− .
dt V dt

Substituting b = 1.2, P = 8, V = 100, and ddtV = 20, we find

dP (8) (1.2)
=− (20) = −1.92 kPa/min.
dt 100

35. A point moves along the parabola y = x 2 + 1. Let !(t) be the2 distance between the point and the origin. Calculate
!& (t), assuming P =the25x-coordinate
Find b ifthat = the
kPa, d P/dt of 12 kPa/min, V = 100atcm
point is increasing , and
a rate /dt = 20 cm3 /min.
ofd9Vft/s.
SOLUTION A point moves along the parabola y = x 2 + 1. Let ! be the distance between the point and the origin. By
the distance formula, we have ! = (x 2 + (x 2 + 1)2 )1/2 . Hence

d! 1$ 2 %−1/2 ! d x $ % dx
"
(2x 2 + 3)x ddtx
= x + (x 2 + 1)2 2x + 2 x 2 + 1 · 2x = # .
dt 2 dt dt x 4 + 3x 2 + 1

With ddtx = 9, we have

9x(2x 2 + 3)
!& (t) = # ft/s.
x 4 + 3x 2 + 1

37. A water tank in the shape of a right circular cone of radius 300 cm and height 500 cm leaks water from the vertex at
The base x of the right triangle in Figure 12 increases at a rate of 5 cm/s, while the height remains constant at
a rate of 10 cm3 /min. Find the rate at which the water level is decreasing when it is 200 cm.
h = 20. How fast is the angle θ changing when x = 20?
SOLUTION Consider the cone of water in the tank at a certain instant. Let r be the radius of its (inverted) base, h its
height, and V its volume. By similar triangles, hr = 300 3 1 2 3 3
500 or r = 5 h and thus V = 3 π r h = 25 π h . Therefore,

dV 9 dh
= π h2 ,
dt 25 dt
and
dh 25 d V
= .
dt 9π h 2 dt

We are given ddtV = −10. When h = 200, it follows that

dh 25 1
= (−10) = − ≈ −2.21 × 10−4 cm/min.
dt 9π (200) 2 1440π

Thus, the water level is decreasing at the rate of 2.21 × 10−4 cm/min.

Two parallel paths 50 ft apart run through the woods. Shirley jogs east on one path at 6 mph, while Jamail walks
west on the other at 4 mph. If they pass each other at time t = 0, how far apart are they 3 s later, and how fast is the
distance between them changing at that moment?
172 CHAPTER 3 D I F F E R E N T I AT I O N

Further Insights and Challenges

39. Henry is pulling on a rope that passes through a pulley on a 10-ft pole and is attached to a wagon (Figure 13). Assume
that the rope is attached to a loop on the wagon 2 ft off the ground. Let x be the distance between the loop and the pole.
(a) Find a formula for the speed of the wagon in terms of x and the rate at which Henry pulls the rope.
(b) Find the speed of the wagon when it is 12 ft from the pole, assuming that Henry pulls the rope at a rate of 1.5 ft/s.

x
FIGURE 13

SOLUTION Let h be the distance from the pulley to the loop on the wagon. (Note that the rate at which Henry pulls the
rope is the rate at which h is decreasing.) Using the Pythagorean Theorem, we have h 2 = x 2 + (10 − 2)2 = x 2 + 82 .
dh dx dx h dh
(a) Thus 2h = 2x , and = .
dt dt dt x dt
(b) As Henry pulls the rope at the rate of 1.5 = 32 ft/s, the distance h is decreasing at that rate; i.e., dh/dt = − 32 . When
the wagon is 12 feet from the pole, we thus have
# ! "
dx 122 + 82 3 √
= − = − 13/2 ft/s.
dt 12 2
√
13
Thus, the speed of the wagon is ft/s.
2
41. Using a telescope, you track a rocket that was launched 2 miles away, recording the angle θ between the telescope
A roller coaster has the shape of the graph in Figure 14. Show that when the roller coaster passes the point
and the ground at half-second intervals. Estimate the velocity of the rocket if θ (10) = 0.205 and θ (10.5) = 0.225.
(x, f (x)), the vertical velocity of the roller coaster is equal to f & (x) times its horizontal velocity.
h
SOLUTION Let h be the height of the vertically ascending rocket. Using trigonometry, tan θ = , so
2
dh dθ
= 2 sec2 θ · .
dt dt
We are given θ (10) = 0.205, and we can estimate
'
d θ '' θ (10.5) − θ (10)
' ≈ = 0.04.
dt t=10 0.5

Thus,
dh
= 2 sec2 (0.205) · (0.04) ≈ 0.083 mi/s,
dt
or roughly 300 mph.
43. A baseball player runs from home plate toward first base at 20 ft/s. How fast is the player’s distance from second
Two trains leave a station at t = 0 and travel with constant velocity v along straight tracks that make an angle θ .
base changing when the player is halfway to first base? See Figure 15.√
(a) Show that the trains are separating from each other at a rate v 2 − 2 cos θ .
(b) What does this formula give for θ = π ?

20 ft/s

FIGURE 15 Baseball diamond.

SOLUTION In baseball, the distance between bases is 90 feet. Let x be the distance of the player from home plate and
h the player’s distance from second base. Using the Pythagorean theorem, we have h 2 = 902 + (90 − x)2 . Therefore,
! "
dh dx
2h = 2 (90 − x) − ,
dt dt
 Chapter Review Exercises 173

and
dh 90 − x d x
=− .
dt h dt
#
We are given ddtx = 20. When the player is halfway to first base, x = 45 and h = 902 + 452 , so

dh 45 √
= −# (20) = −4 5 ≈ −8.94 ft/s.
dt 2
90 + 452

45. A spectator seated 300 m away from the center of a circular track of radius 100 m watches an athlete run laps at
As the wheel of radius r cm in Figure 16 rotates, the rod of length L attached at the point P drives a piston back
a speed of 5 m/s. How fast is the distance between the spectator and athlete changing when the runner is approaching
and forth in a straight line. Let x be the distance from the origin to the point Q at the end of the rod as in the figure.
the spectator and the distance between them is 250 m? Hint: The diagram for this problem is similar to Figure 16, with
r = 100 and x = 300.
SOLUTION From the diagram, the coordinates of P are (r cos θ , r sin θ ) and those of Q are (x, 0).
(a) Use the Pythagorean Theorem to show that
• The distance formula gives
L2 =
( (x − r cos θ )2 + r 2 sin2 θ
L = (x − r cos θ )2 + (−r sin θ )2 .
(b) Differentiate Eq. (8) with respect to t to prove that
Thus, ! "
dx dθ dθ
2(x − r cos θ ) 2 + r sin θ + 2r 2 sin θ cos θ =0
L dt= (x − r cosdtθ )2 + r 2 sin2 θ . dt

(c) Calculate the distance

speed ofof
thethe
piston whenfrom π , assuming that r = 10 cm, L = 30 cm, and the wheel rotates at 4
θ = the
Note that x (the spectator 2 center of the track) and r (the radius of the track) are constants.
revolutions per minute.
• Differentiating with respect to t gives

dL dθ dθ
2L = 2 (x − r cos θ ) r sin θ + 2r 2 sin θ cos θ .
dt dt dt
Thus,
dL rx dθ
= sin θ .
dt L dt
dθ 1 ds
• Recall the relation between arc length s and angle θ , namely s = r θ . Thus = . Given r = 100 and
dt r dt
ds = −5, we have
dt

dθ 1 1
= (−5) = − rad/s.
dt 100 20
(Note: In this scenario, the runner traverses the track in a clockwise fashion and approaches the spectator from
Quadrant 1.)
• Next, the Law of Cosines gives L 2 = r 2 + x 2 − 2r x cos θ , so

r 2 + x2 − L2 1002 + 3002 − 2502 5

cos θ = = = .
2r x 2 (100) (300) 8
Accordingly,
) √
! "2
5 39
sin θ = 1− = .
8 8

• Finally
*√ +! " √
dL (300) (100) 39 1 3 39
= − =− ≈ −4.68 m/s.
dt 250 8 20 4

A cylindrical tank of radius R and length L lying horizontally as in Figure 17 is filled with oil to height h.
CHAPTER
(a) ShowREVIEW EXERCISES
that the volume V (h) of oil in the tank as a function of height h is
! ! " # "
V (h) = L R 2 cos−1 1 − h − (R − h) 2h R − h 2
In Exercises 1–4, refer to the function f (x) whose graph is Rshown in Figure 1.

dV #
(b) Show that = 2L h(2R − h).
dh
(c) Suppose that R = 4 ft and L = 30 ft, and that the tank is filled at a constant rate of 10 ft3 /min. How fast is the
height h increasing when h = 5?