Calculus I

Preface
Here are the solutions to the practice problems for my Calculus I notes. Some solutions will have
more or less detail than other solutions. The level of detail in each solution will depend up on
several issues. If the section is a review section, this mostly applies to problems in the first
chapter, there will probably not be as much detail to the solutions given that the problems really
should be review. As the difficulty level of the problems increases less detail will go into the
basics of the solution under the assumption that if youve reached the level of working the harder
problems then you will probably already understand the basics fairly well and wont need all the
explanation.
This document was written with presentation on the web in mind. On the web most solutions are
broken down into steps and many of the steps have hints. Each hint on the web is given as a
popup however in this document they are listed prior to each step. Also, on the web each step can
be viewed individually by clicking on links while in this document they are all showing. Also,
there are liable to be some formatting parts in this document intended for help in generating the
web pages that havent been removed here. These issues may make the solutions a little difficult
to follow at times, but they should still be readable.

Related Rates
1. In the following assume that x and y are both functions of t. Given x = 2 , y = 1 and x = 4
determine y for the following equation.

6 y 2 + x 2 =2 x 3e 4 4 y
Hint : This is just like the problems worked in the section notes. The only difference is that
youve been given the equation and all the needed information and so you wont have to worry
about finding that.
Step 1
The first thing that we need to do here is use implicit differentiation to differentiate the equation
with respect to t.

3 x 2 xe 4 4 y + 4 x3e 4 4 y y
12 y y + 2 x x =
Step 2
All we need to do now is plug in the given information and solve for y .

12 y + 16 = 48 32 y

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y =

8
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Calculus I

2. In the following assume that x, y and z are all functions of t. Given x = 4 , y = 2 , z = 1 ,

x = 9 and y = 3 determine z for the following equation.

x (1 y ) + 5 z 3= y 2 z 2 + x 2 3
Hint : This is just like the problems worked in the section notes. The only difference is that
youve been given the equation and all the needed information and so you wont have to worry
about finding that.
Step 1
The first thing that we need to do here is use implicit differentiation to differentiate the equation
with respect to t.
2
x (1 y ) x y + 15 z=
z 2 y yz 2 + 2 y 2 z z + 2 x x

Step 2
All we need to do now is plug in the given information and solve for z .

27 + 12 + 15 z = 12 + 8 z + 72

z =

45
7

3. For a certain rectangle the length of one side is always three times the length of the other side.

(a) If the shorter side is decreasing at a rate of 2 inches/minute at what rate is the
longer side decreasing?
(b) At what rate is the enclosed area decreasing when the shorter side is 6 inches long
and is decreasing at a rate of 2 inches/minute?
Hint : The equation needed here is a really simple equation. In fact, so simple it might be easy to
miss
(a) If the shorter side is decreasing at a rate of 2 inches/minute at what rate is the longer side
decreasing?
Step 1
Lets call the shorter side x and the longer side y. We know that x = 2 and want to find y .
Now all we need is an equation that relates these two quantities and from the problem statement
we know the longer side is three times shorter side and so the equation is,

y = 3x
Step 2
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Calculus I

Next step is to simply differentiate the equation with respect to t.

y = 3 x
Step 3
Finally, plug in the known quantity and solve for what we want : y = 6
Hint : Once we have the equation for the area we can either simplify the equation as we did in this
section or we can use the result from the previous step and the equation directly.
(b) At what rate is the enclosed area decreasing when the shorter side is 6 inches long and is
decreasing at a rate of 2 inches/minute?
Step 1
Again well call the shorter side x and the longer side y as with the last part. We know that x = 6 ,
x = 2 and want to find A .
The equation well need is just the area formula for a rectangle : A = xy
At this point we can either leave the equation as is and differentiate it or we can plug in y = 3 x
to simplify the equation down to a single variable then differentiate. Doing this gives,

A ( x ) = 3x 2
Step 2
Now we need to differentiate with respect to t.
If we use the equation in terms of only x, which is probably the easiest to use we get,

A = 6 x x
If we use the equation in terms of both x and y we get,

=
A x y + xy
Step 3
Now all we need to do is plug in the known quantities and solve for A .
Using the equation in terms of only x is the easiest because we already have all the known
quantities from the problem statement itself. Doing this gives,

A =
6 ( 6 )( 2 ) =
72
Now lets use the equation in terms of x and y. We know that x = 6 and x = 2 from the

=
y 3=
problem statement. From part (a) we have y = 6 and we also know that
( 6 ) 18 .
Using these gives,

A =( 6 )( 6 ) + ( 2 )(18 ) =72
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Calculus I

So, as we can see both gives the same result but the second method is slightly more work,
although not much more.
4. A thin sheet of ice is in the form of a circle. If the ice is melting in such a way that the area of
the sheet is decreasing at a rate of 0.5 m2/sec at what rate is the radius decreasing when the area
of the sheet is 12 m2 ?

Step 1
Well call the area of the sheet A and the radius r and we know that the area of a circle is given
by,

A = r2
We know that A = 0.5 and want to determine r when A = 12 .
Step 2
Next step is to simply differentiate the equation with respect to t.

A = 2 r r
Step 3
Now, to finish this problem off well first need to go back to the equation of the area and use the
fact that we know the area at the point we are interested in and determine the radius at that time.

12 =
r2

12
r= =
1.9544

The rate of change of the radius is then,

0.5 =
2 (1.9544 ) r

r =
0.040717

5. A person is standing 350 feet away from a model rocket that is fired straight up into the air at a
rate of 15 ft/sec. At what rate is the distance between the person and the rocket increasing (a) 20
seconds after liftoff? (b) 1 minute after liftoff?

Step 1
Here is a sketch for this situation that will work for both parts so well put it here.

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Calculus I

Step 2
In both parts we know that y = 15 and want to determine z for each given time. Using the
Pythagorean Theorem we get the following equation to relate y and z.

z2 =
y 2 + 3502 =
y 2 + 122500
Step 3
Finally, lets differentiate this with respect to t and we can even solve it for z so the actual
solution will be quick and simple to find.

2 z z = 2 y y

z =

y y
z

We have now reached a point where the process will differ for each part.
(a) At what rate is the distance between the person and the rocket increasing 20 seconds after
liftoff?
To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine y (from the speed of the rocket and given
time) and z (reusing the Pythagorean Theorem).

y=

(15)( 20 ) =

z=

300

3002 + 3502 =

212500 = 50 85 = 460.9772

The rate of change of the distance between the two is then,

=
z

300 )(15 )
(=
460.9772

9.76187

(b) At what rate is the distance between the person and the rocket increasing 1 minute after
liftoff?
This part is nearly identical to the first part with the exception that the time is now 60 seconds
(and note that we MUST be in seconds because the speeds are in time of seconds).
Here is the work for this problem.

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Calculus I

y=

(15)( 60 ) =

z=

900
=
z

9002 + 3502 =

900 )(15 )
(=
965.6604

932500 = 50 373 = 965.6604

13.98007

6. A plane is 750 meters in the air flying parallel to the ground at a speed of 100 m/s and is
initially 2.5 kilometers away from a radar station. At what rate is the distance between the plane
and the radar station changing (a) initially and (b) 30 seconds after it passes over the radar
station? See the (probably bad) sketch below to help visualize the problem.

(a) At what rate is the distance between the plane and the radar station changing initially?
Step 1
For this part we know that x = 100 when x = 2500 . In this case note that x must be
negative because x will be decreasing in this part. Also note that we converted x to meters since
all the other quantities are in meters.
Here is a sketch for this part.

Step 2
We want to determine z in this part so using the Pythagorean Theorem we get the following
equation to relate x and z.

z2 =
x 2 + 7502 =
x 2 + 562500
Step 3
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Calculus I

Finally, lets differentiate this with respect to t and we can even solve it for z so the actual
solution will be quick and simple to find.

2 z z = 2 x x

z =

x x
z

Step 4
To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine z (reusing the Pythagorean Theorem)
and then plug into the equation from Step 3 above.

z=

25002 + 7502=

6812500= 250 109= 2610.0766

The rate of change of the distance between the two for this part is,

z =

( 2500 )( 100 ) =
2610.0766

95.7826

(b) At what rate is the distance between the plane and the radar station changing 30 seconds after
it passes over the radar station?
Step 1
For this part we know that x = 100 and it will be positive in this case because x will now be
increasing as we can see in the sketch below.

Step 2
As with the previous part we want to determine z and equation well need is identical to the
previous part so well just rewrite both it and its derivative here.

z2 =
x 2 + 7502 =
x 2 + 562500
2 z z = 2 x x

z =

x x
z

Step 3
To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine both x and z. For x we know the speed
of the plane and the fact that it has flown for 30 seconds after passing over the radar station. So x
is,

=
x
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=
(100
)( 30 )
7

3000
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Calculus I

For z we just need to reuse the Pythagorean Theorem.

z=

30002 + 7502=

9562500= 750 17= 3092.3292

The rate of change of the distance between the two for this part is then,

=
z

3000 )(100 )
(=
3092.3292

97.0143

7. Two people are at an elevator. At the same time one person starts to walk away from the
elevator at a rate of 2 ft/sec and the other person starts going up in the elevator at a rate of 7
ft/sec. What rate is the distance between the two people changing 15 seconds later?
Step 1
Here is a sketch for this part.

We want to determine z after 15 seconds given that x = 2 , y = 7 and assuming that they start
at the same point.
Step 2
Hopefully its clear that well need the Pythagorean Theorem to solve this problem so here is that.
2
z=
x2 + y 2

Step 3
Finally, lets differentiate this with respect to t and we can even solve it for z so the actual
solution will be quick and simple to find.

2 z z =
2 x x + 2 y y

x x + y y
z =
z

Step 4
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Calculus I

To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine all three lengths of the triangle in the
sketch above. We can find x and y using their speeds and time while we can find z by reusing the
Pythagorean Theorem.

=
x

2 )(15 )
(=
z=

=
y

30

7 )(15 )
(=

105

302 + 1052 = 11925 = 15 53 = 109.2016

The rate of change of the distance between the two people is then,

=
z

30 )( 2 ) + (105 )( 7 )
(=
109.2016

7.2801

8. Two people on bikes are at the same place. One of the bikers starts riding directly north at a
rate of 8 m/sec. Five seconds after the first biker started riding north the second starts to ride
directly east at a rate of 5 m/sec. At what rate is the distance between the two riders increasing 20
seconds after the second person started riding?
Step 1
Here is a sketch of this situation.

We want to determine z after 20 seconds after the second biker starts riding east given that
x = 5 , y = 8 and assuming that they start at the same point.
Step 2
Hopefully its clear that well need the Pythagorean Theorem to solve this problem so here is that.
2
z=
x2 + y 2

Step 3
Finally, lets differentiate this with respect to t and we can even solve it for z so the actual
solution will be quick and simple to find.

2 z z =
2 x x + 2 y y

x x + y y
z =
z

Step 4
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Calculus I

To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine all three lengths of the triangle in the
sketch above. We can find x and y using their speeds and time while we can find z by reusing the
Pythagorean Theorem. Note that the biker riding east will be riding for 20 seconds and the biker
riding north will be riding for 25 seconds (this biker started 5 seconds earlier).

=
x

5 )( 20 )
(=
z=

=
y

100

1002 + 2002 =

8 )( 25 )
(=

200

50000 = 100 5 = 223.6068

The rate of change of the distance between the two people is then,

=
z

100 )( 5 ) + ( 200 )( 8 )
(=
223.6068

9.3915

9. A light is mounted on a wall 5 meters above the ground. A 2 meter tall person is initially 10
meters from the wall and is moving towards the wall at a rate of 0.5 m/sec. After 4 seconds of
moving is the tip of the shadow moving (a) towards or away from the person and (b) towards or
away from the wall?

Step 1
Here is a sketch for this situation that will work for both parts so well put it here. Also note that
we know that xp = 0.5 for both parts.

(a) After 4 seconds of moving is the tip of the shadow towards or away from the person?
Step 2

10 4 ( 0.5 ) =
8 (although it will turn out that
In this case we want to determine xs when x p =
we simply dont need this piece of information for this problem.).
We can use the idea of similar triangles to get the following equation.

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Calculus I

xs
2 xs
= =
5 x x p + xs
If we solve this for xs we arrive at,
2
5
2
5

xs
( x p + xs ) =
2
x p +=
xs
5 xs

=
xs

2
3

xp

This equation will work perfectly for us.

Step 3
Differentiation with respect to t will give us,

xs = 23 xp
Step 4
Finishing off this problem is very simple as all we need to do is plug in the known speed.
2
xs =
13
3 ( 0.5 ) =

Because this rate is negative we can see that the tip of the shadow is moving towards the person
at a rate of 13 m/s.
(b) After 4 seconds of moving is the tip of the shadow towards or away from the wall?
Step 2
In this case we want to determine x and the equation is really simple. All we need is,

=
x x p + xs
Step 3
Differentiation with respect to t will give us,

x= xp + xs
Step 4
Finishing off this problem is very simple as all we need to do is plug in the known speeds and
note that we will need to result from the first part here. So we have xp = 12 from the problem
statement and xs = 13 from the previous part.

x = 12 + ( 13 ) = 65

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Calculus I

Because this rate is negative we can see that the tip of the shadow is moving towards the wall at a
rate of 56 m/s.

10. A tank of water in the shape of a cone is being filled with water at a rate of 12 m3/sec. The
base radius of the tank is 26 meters and the height of the tank is 8 meters. At what rate is the
depth of the water in the tank changing with the radius of the top of the water is 10 meters?
Step 1
Here is a sketch of the cross section of the tank and it is not even remotely to scale as I found it
easier to reuse an old image that I had lying around. I can be a little lazy sometimes.

We want to determine h when r = 10 and we know that V = 12 .

Step 2
Well need the equation for the volume of a cone.

V = 13 r 2 h
This is a problem however as it has both r and h in it and it would be best to have only h since we
need h . We can use similar triangles to fix this up. Based on similar triangles we get the
following equation which can be solved for r.

r 26
=
h 8

13
r=
4 h

Plugging this into the volume equation gives,

3
V = 169
48 h

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Calculus I

Step 3
Next, lets differentiate this with respect to t.
2

V = 169
16 h h

Step 4
To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine the value of h for the time we are
interested in. This can easily be done from the similar triangle equation and the fact that we
know r = 10 .

=
h

=
r

4
13

4
13

(10=)

40
13

The rate of change of the height of the water is then,

169
40
100 h
12 =
16 ( 13 ) h =
2

3
h =
25

11. The angle of elevation is the angle formed by a horizontal line and a line joining the
observers eye to an object above the horizontal line. A person is 500 feet way from the launch
point of a hot air balloon. The hot air balloon is starting to come back down at a rate of 15 ft/sec.
At what rate is the angle of elevation, , changing when the hot air balloon is 200 feet above the
ground. See the (probably bad) sketch below to help visualize the angle of elevation if you are
having trouble seeing it.

Step 1
Putting variables and known quantities on the sketch from the problem statement gives,

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Calculus I

We want to determine when y = 200 and we know that y = 15 .

Step 2
There are a variety of equations that we could use here but probably the best one that involves all
of the known and needed quantities is,

tan ( ) =

y
500

Step 3
Differentiating with respect to t gives,

sec 2 ( ) =

y
500

y
cos 2 ( )
500

Step 4
To finish off this problem all we need to do is determine the value of for the time in question.
We can either use the original equation to do this or we could acknowledge that all we really need
is cos ( ) and we could do a little right triangle trig to determine that.
For this problem well just use the original equation to find the value of .
200
tan ( ) =
500

tan 1 ( 52 ) =
0.38051radians
=

The rate of change of the angle of elevation is then,

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15
cos 2 ( 0.38051) = 0.02586
500

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