<< Chapter < Page Chapter >> Page >

Water draining from a funnel

Water is draining from the bottom of a cone-shaped funnel at the rate of 0.0 3 ft 3 /sec . The height of the funnel is 2 ft and the radius at the top of the funnel is 1 ft . At what rate is the height of the water in the funnel changing when the height of the water is 1 2 ft ?

Step 1: Draw a picture introducing the variables.

A funnel is shown with height 2 and radius 1 at its top. The funnel has water to height h, at which point the radius is r.
Water is draining from a funnel of height 2 ft and radius 1 ft. The height of the water and the radius of water are changing over time. We denote these quantities with the variables h and r , respectively.

Let h denote the height of the water in the funnel, r denote the radius of the water at its surface, and V denote the volume of the water.

Step 2: We need to determine d h d t when h = 1 2 ft . We know that d V d t = −0.03 ft/sec .

Step 3: The volume of water in the cone is

V = 1 3 π r 2 h .

From the figure, we see that we have similar triangles. Therefore, the ratio of the sides in the two triangles is the same. Therefore, r h = 1 2 or r = h 2 . Using this fact, the equation for volume can be simplified to

V = 1 3 π ( h 2 ) 2 h = π 12 h 3 .

Step 4: Applying the chain rule while differentiating both sides of this equation with respect to time t , we obtain

d V d t = π 4 h 2 d h d t .

Step 5: We want to find d h d t when h = 1 2 ft . Since water is leaving at the rate of 0.0 3 ft 3 /sec , we know that d V d t = −0.03 ft 3 /sec . Therefore,

−0.03 = π 4 ( 1 2 ) 2 d h d t ,

which implies

−0.03 = π 16 d h d t .

It follows that

d h d t = 0.48 π = −0.153 ft/sec .
Got questions? Get instant answers now!
Got questions? Get instant answers now!

At what rate is the height of the water changing when the height of the water is 1 4 ft ?

−0.61 ft/sec

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Key concepts

  • To solve a related rates problem, first draw a picture that illustrates the relationship between the two or more related quantities that are changing with respect to time.
  • In terms of the quantities, state the information given and the rate to be found.
  • Find an equation relating the quantities.
  • Use differentiation, applying the chain rule as necessary, to find an equation that relates the rates.
  • Be sure not to substitute a variable quantity for one of the variables until after finding an equation relating the rates.

For the following exercises, find the quantities for the given equation.

Find d y d t at x = 1 and y = x 2 + 3 if d x d t = 4 .

8

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Find d x d t at x = −2 and y = 2 x 2 + 1 if d y d t = −1 .

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

Find d z d t at ( x , y ) = ( 1 , 3 ) and z 2 = x 2 + y 2 if d x d t = 4 and d y d t = 3 .

13 10

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

For the following exercises, sketch the situation if necessary and used related rates to solve for the quantities.

[T] If two electrical resistors are connected in parallel, the total resistance (measured in ohms, denoted by the Greek capital letter omega, Ω ) is given by the equation 1 R = 1 R 1 + 1 R 2 . If R 1 is increasing at a rate of 0.5 Ω / min and R 2 decreases at a rate of 1.1 Ω/min , at what rate does the total resistance change when R 1 = 20 Ω and R 2 = 50 Ω / min ?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A 10-ft ladder is leaning against a wall. If the top of the ladder slides down the wall at a rate of 2 ft/sec, how fast is the bottom moving along the ground when the bottom of the ladder is 5 ft from the wall?

A right triangle is formed by a ladder leaning up against a brick wall. The ladder forms the hypotenuse and is 10 ft long.

2 3 ft/sec

Got questions? Get instant answers now!

A 25-ft ladder is leaning against a wall. If we push the ladder toward the wall at a rate of 1 ft/sec, and the bottom of the ladder is initially 20 ft away from the wall, how fast does the ladder move up the wall 5 sec after we start pushing?

Got questions? Get instant answers now!
Practice Key Terms 1

Get Jobilize Job Search Mobile App in your pocket Now!

Get it on Google Play Download on the App Store Now




Source:  OpenStax, Calculus volume 1. OpenStax CNX. Feb 05, 2016 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col11964/1.2
Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.

Notification Switch

Would you like to follow the 'Calculus volume 1' conversation and receive update notifications?

Ask
Stephanie Redfern
Start Quiz
Marion Cabalfin
Start Test
Vanessa Soledad
Start Exam
Dravida Mahadeo-J...
Start Quiz
Eric Crawford
Start Quiz