Worksheet 7 – Optimization 201

0
Objective: To use derivative in solving optimization problems.

1. A piece of wire 10 m long is cut into two pieces. One piece is bent into a square
and the other is bent into an equilateral triangle. How should the wire be cut for
the square so that the total area enclosed is a minimum? Round the result to the
nearest hundredth.

2. A paint manufacturer wants cylindrical cans for its special enamels. The can is to
have a volume of 12 fluid ounces, which is approximately 22 cubic inches. Find
the dimensions of the can that will require the least amount of material.

3. An isosceles triangle has a base of 6 units and height of 12 units. Find the
maximum possible area for a rectangle that is inscribed in the triangle and has
one side resting on the base of the triangle. What are the dimensions of the
rectangle(s) of maximum area?

4. A 4 m tall fence is parallel to a tall building and is 3 m away from the building.
How long is the shortest ladder which, starting on the opposite side of the fence
from the building, will reach from the ground over the fence, to touch the wall?

5. A man is floating in a row boat 1km from the straight shoreline of a large

lake. A town is located on the shoreline 1 km from the point on the shoreline
closest to the man. As shown in figure below he intends to row in a straight
line to some point P on the shoreline and then walks the remaining distance to
the town. To what point should he row in order to reach his destination in the
shortest time if he can walk 5km/hr and row 3km/hr?

7. The highway department is asked to construct a road between point A and

point B. Point A lies on an abandoned road that runs east-west. Point B is 3
miles north of the point of the old road that is 5 miles east of A. The
engineering division proposes that the road be constructed by restoring a
section of the old road from A to some point P and constructing a new road
from P to B. Given that the cost of restoring the old road is $2,000,000 per
mile and the cost of anew road is $4,000,000 per mile, how much of the old
road should be restored so as to minimize the cost of the project.

8. In the titration of a weak acid and strong base, the pH is given by

x
p ( x) = c + ln( ) where c is a constant closely related to the acid
x −1
dissociation constant and x is a fraction (0 < x < 1) of converted acid. Find the
value of x at which the rate of change of pH is the smallest.

1 FAM 0035 January 2010

 Worksheet 7 – Optimization 201
0

9. In an electronic device, individual circuits may serve many purposes. In some cases,
the flow of electricity must be controlled by reducing the power instead of amplifying
it. The power absorbed by the circuit given by

V 2x
P ( x) =
( R + x) 2

where V is voltage in volts , R and x ohms are resistors measured in ohms. Find the
value of x that will maximize the power absorbed.

10. Which point(s) on the graph of y = 4 − x 2 are closest to the point (0, 2)?

11. The cost of publishing a book comprised of a one-off set-up amount of RM10,
000 plus RM8 for each book printed. The publisher sold 7,000 copies last year at
RM13 each, but sales dropped to 5,000 copies this year when the price was
raised to RM15 per copy. Assume that up to 10,000 copies can be printed in a
single press run. To maximize the year’s profit of this book,
i. how many copies should be printed?
ii. what should be the selling price of each copy?
12. A cylindrical can is to be made to hold 1 L of oil. Find the dimension that will
minimize the cost of the metal to manufacture the can.
13. A round underwater transmission cable consists of a core of copper wires
r
surrounded by nonconducting insulation as shown in figure below. If x =
h
denotes the ratio of the radius r of the core to the thickness h of the
insulation, it is known that the speed of the transmission signal is given
1
by the equation v = x 2 ln . If the radius of the core is 1 cm, what insulation
x
thickness h will allow the greatest transmission speed?

Insulation

h
Core
r

2 FAM 0035 January 2010