Mathematics SM015

Topic 10: Applications of Differentiation – Tutorial

TOPIC 10: APPLICATIONS OF DIFFERENTIATION

1. Find all the critical points of the following functions.

1
(a) y  x3  7 x 2  5 x  2 (b) y , x  1
x 1
2

2. The curve y = x 2 + ax + b has a stationary point at (1, 3). Find a and b.

3. For each of the following functions, determine the interval or intervals on

which f is decreasing and increasing and hence determine their relative
extremum by using the first derivative test.

(a)
y
2x (c) y  2 x3  15x2  24 x
x 1
2

(b) x2 (d) y  x 4  4 x3  5
y
x 1

4. Use the second derivative test to find the local extremum of the following
functions.
(a) y  x3  x 2  x  2 (b) f  x   8  4 x3  x 4

5. Let f  x   x 2  px  q , find the values of p and q such that f 1  3 is an extreme

value of f  x  on  0, 2 . Is this value a maximum or minimum?

x
6. Find the coordinates of the stationary points on the curve f  x   . Show that
x 4
2

2 x  x 2  12 
f ''  x   and determine the nature of the stationary points.
x  4
2 3

7. For the function y  2 x 4  4 x3  1 , describe the concavity of the graph and find if exist,
the point of inflection.

8. Sketch the graphs of the polynomial functions.

(a) f ( x)  3x2  10 x  8
(b) f ( x)  2 x 3  3x 2  1
(c) f ( x)  2  3x 2  x 4

9. A garden is to be laid out in a rectangular area and protected by a chicken wire fence.
What is the largest possible area of the garden if only 100 running feet of chicken wire
is available for the fence?

10. An open box is to be made from a 16 cm by 30 cm piece of cardboard by cutting out

squares of equal size from the four corners and bending up the sides. What size should
the side of the squares be to obtain a box with the largest volume.
 Mathematics SM015
Topic 10: Applications of Differentiation – Tutorial

11. A closed, right circular cylinder of base radius r cm and height h cm has a volume
of 54 cm3. Show that S, the total surface area of the cylinder, is given by
108
S  2 r 2 .
r
Hence find the radius and height which make the surface area a minimum.

12. Figure below shows an offshore oil well located at a point W that is 5 km from the
closest point A on a straight shoreline. Oil is to be piped from W to a shore point B that
is 8 km from A by piping it on a straight line under water from W to some shore point P
between A and B and then on to B via pipe along the shoreline. If the cost of laying
pipe is $1,000,000/ km under water and $500,000/km over land, where should the point
P be located to minimize the cost of laying the pipe?

5km

A P B
x km (8 – x)km

13. Find the radius and height of the right circular cylinder of largest volume that can be
inscribed in a right circular cone (see figure below) with radius 6 cm and height 10 cm.

10 cm
h

6 cm

14. A closed cylindrical can is to hold 1 liter ( 1000cm3 ) of liquid. How should we choose
the height and radius to minimise the amount of material needed to manufacture the
can?

15. Find a point on the curve y  x 2 that is closest to the point 18, 0  .
 Mathematics SM015
Topic 10: Applications of Differentiation – Tutorial

16. A rectangle is to be inscribed in a right triangle having sides of length 6 inch, 8 inch
and 10 inch. Find the dimensions of the rectangle with greatest area assuming the
rectangle is positioned as in figured.

10 inch 8 inch

6 inch

17. As helium is added to a balloon, the balloon always keeps a spherical shape. If
helium is added at the rate of 120 cubic cm per minute, how fast is the radius
growing at the moment when radius is 10 cm.

4
18. The size (in cubic centimeters) of a tumor of radius r is given by V  r    r 3 .
3
dr
Find the rate of increase in size when r  0.9 centimeter and  0.03 centimeter
dt
per month.

19. Grain is being poured in a conical pile whose depth is always twice radius of the
base (see figure below). The grain is falling at the rate of 5 cubic meters per minute.
When the pile is 10 meter deep, how fast is the radius of the base increasing? How fast
is the area of the base changing instant?

2r
r

20. A container in the shape of a hollow cone of semi-vertical angle 300 is held with its
vertex pointing downwards. Water is poured into the cone at the rate of 5cm3s 1 . Find
the rate at which the depth of water in the cone is increasing when this depth is 10 cm.

1 2 1
21. A circular ink blot spreads at the rate of cm s . Find the rate of increase in the
3
1
circumference of the ink blot when its radius is cm .
2

22. In figure, we have shown a camera mounted at a point 3000 ft from the base of a rocket
launching pad. If the rocket is rising vertically at 880 ft/s when it is 4000 ft above the
launching pad, how fast must the camera elevation angle change at that instant to keep
the camera aimed at the rocket?
 Mathematics SM015
Topic 10: Application of Differentiation – Tutorial

ANSWERS

 1 31 
1. (a)  ,  ,  5, 77  (b)  0, 1
 3 27 

2. a  2 , b  4

3. (a) f decreasing on (, 1) and (1, ) ; f increasing on (1,1)

relative minimum = (1,  1) ; relative maximum = (1,1)

(b) f decreasing on (2, 0) ; f increasing on (, 2) and (0, )

relative minimum = (0,0) ; relative maximum = (2, 4)

(c) f decreasing on (1, 4) ; f increasing on (,1) and (4, )

relative minimum = (4, 16) ; relative maximum = (1,11)

(d) f decreasing on (, 0) and (0,3); f increasing on (3, )

relative minimum = (3, 22)

 1 49 
4. (a) minimum point =  ,  ; maximum point =  1,3
 3 27 
(b) minimum point   3, 19 

5. p  2, q  4 ; relative minimum = (1,3)

 1  1
6. maximum point =  2,  ; minimum point =  2,  
 4  4

7. f concave upward on  , 0  and (1, ) ; f concave downward on (0,1)

Points of inflection = (0,1) and (1, 1)

8. (a) y (b) y
 5 49 
 , 
3 3 
1
1 1
8  , 
2 2

x
x 0 1
0 4 1

2 2

3

(c) y
 6 1  6 1
  ,   , 
 2 4  2 4

1
1
x
0
 2 2 3  2 3 2
  ,   2  ,  
 2 4  2 4
 Mathematics SM015
Topic 10: Application of Differentiation – Tutorial

10
9. 625 ft 2 10. cm
3

5 3
11. r  3 cm; h  6 cm 12. km
3

13. r  4 cm; h  10 cm 14. r  5.42 cm; h  10.84 cm

3

15.  2, 4  16. x  3 inch; y  4 inch

17. 0.3 cm/min 18. 0.31 cm3 /month

3
19. 0.032 m/min; 1 m2 / min 20. cms 1
20

2 66
21. cm s 1 22. rad / s
3 625