SOLUTIONS TO THE SECOND EXAM, MATH 114, FALL

2004

Multiple choice questions.

Question 1. Compute the partial derivative of the function

2)
f (x, y, z) = e1−x cos(y) + z e−1/(1+y

with respect to x at the point (1, 0, π).

(a) -1
(b) −1/e
(c) 0
(d) π/e
(e) π

Answer 1. We compute
∂f
= e1−x cos y (− cos y)
∂x

∂f
|(1,0,π) = e1−1 cos 0 (− cos 0) = e0 (−1) = −1.
∂x
The correct answer is (a). 2

x2
Question 2. The maximum value of (xy)6 on the ellipse + y 2 = 1 occurs at a point
4
(x, y) for which y 2 is equal to
√
(a) 2/3
(b) 1/2
(c) 2/3
(d) 5/11
(e) 10/11

1
Answer 2. We want to maximize f (x, y) = (xy)6 subject to the constraint g(x, y) =
x2 /4 + y 2 − 1 = 0. The maximum occurs when
∇f = λ∇g,
g = 0.
We compute ∇f = 6x5 y 6bı + 6x6 y 5b and ∇g = (x/2)bı + 2yb. So we must solve
λx
6x5 y 6 =
2
6 5
6x y = 2λy
x2
+ y2 = 1
4
Solving the first two equations for λ we get λ = 12x4 y 6 and λ = 3x6 y 4 , and so 12x4 y 6 = 3x6 y 4 .
Thus either x = 0, or y = 0, or xy 6= 0 and x2 = 4y 2 . Substituting the latter in the third
equation we get 2y 2 = 1. If either x or y is zero, then f = 0 and so the maximum of f occurs
when y 2 = 1/2. The correct answer is (b). 2

Question 3. Evaluate the limit

xy
lim .
(x,y)→(0,0) x2 + y2
(a) −1
(b) 0
1
(c)
2
(d) 1
(e) the limit does not exist

Answer 3. Along the line y = kx with k 6= 0 the limit equals to

kx2 k
lim 2 = .
x→0 x + k 2 x2 1 + k2
Different k’s give rise to different limits and so the limit does not exist. The correct answer
is (e). 2

Question 4. I see an object 3 miles to the East and 4 miles North. It appears to be
moving at 1 mile per minute in the Southwest direction. At how many miles per minute is
it getting closer to me?
1
(a) √
5 2
1
(b)
5
 7
(c) √
5 2
7
(d)
5
√
(e) 7 2

Answer 4. I stand at (0, 0). The object starts at (3, 4) and travels in the direction of
−bı −b. Let →
−r (t) denote the position of the object at time t. Then → −
r (t) = →
−
r 0 +→
−
v 0 t, where
→
− →
−
r 0 is the initial position vector and v 0 is the constant velocity vector of the object. So
→
−r 0 = 3bı + 4b and →−
v 0 is a vector in the direction of −bı − b with magnitude 1 (= the speed
of the object). Thus
→
− 1 1
v 0 = − √ bı − √ b
2 2

   
→
− t t
r (t) = 3− √ bı + 4 − √ b.
2 2
The distance between the object and me is |→
−r (t)| and so the speed at which the object is
getting closer to me is
 → 
 d|−
r (t)| 
 | .
 dt t=0 
We compute
s 2  2
t t
|→
−
r (t)| = 3− √ + 4− √
2 2
q
√
= t2 − 7 2t + 25.
Differentiating with respect to t we get
√
d|→
−
r (t)| 2t − 7 2
= p √ ,
dt 2 t2 − 7 2t + 25
and so
 →   √ 
 d|−
r (t)|   −7 2  7
 | = √
 dt t=0   2 · 5  5 2.
 =

The correct answer is (c). 2

Question 5. The tangent plane to the graph of the function z = x2 y + 1/(1 + y 2 ) at the
point (1, 1, 3/2) contains point (2, 2, t) for which value of t?
 (a) 8 51
7
√
(b) 1 + 4
2
(c) 4
(d) 5
(e) none of the above

Answer 5. The equation of the surface is f (x, y, z) = x 2 y + 1/(1 + y 2 ) − z and so the equation of
the tangent plane at P0 = (1, 1, 3/2) is
 
3
fx (P0 ) · (x − 1) + fy (P0 ) · (y − 1) − z − = 0.
2
Computing the partials we get fx = 2xy and fy = x2 − 2y/(1 + y 2 )2 . Hence fx (P0 ) = 2 and
fy (P0 ) = 1/2 and so the equation of the tangent plane is
y
2x + − z = 1.
2
At (2, 2, t) this gives 4 + 1 − t = 1, i.e. t = 4. The correct answer is (c). 2

Question 6. A particle moves in a circle according to the equations ~r(t) = cos(t 2 )î + sin(t2 )ĵ.
The magnitude of the normal component of the acceleration at time t is
(a) 0
(b) 1
(c) 6t
(d) t2
(e) 4t2

→
−→− →
− →
−
Answer 6. Recall that in the T N frame the acceleration decomposes as → −
a = aT T + aN N . We
want to find the value of aN . We also have
q
d|→− v|
aT = aN = |→ −
a |2 − a2T ,
dt
and so we have to compute |→ −a |2 and aT .
To determine a we differentiate →
→
− −
r (t):
→
−
v = r 0 (t) = −2t sin(t2 )bı + 2t cos(t2 )b,

→
−
a = r 00 (t) = (−2sin(t2 ) − 4t2 cos(t2 ))bı + (2 cos(t2 ) − 4t2 sin(t2 ))b.
Using this we compute |→ −v | = 2t and aT = (2t)0 = 2. Similarly we have |→ −a |2 = 4 + 16t2 and so
p
aN = 4 + 16t2 − 4 = 4t.
The correct answer is (e). 2
Question 7. Which of the quantities is nearest to the value of
 
0.003
exp cos(0.002) ?
1.001
(a) 1
(b) 1.001
(c) 1.002
(d) 1.003
(e) 1.000006

x
Answer 7. To approximate the value we will linearize the function f (x, y, z) = e y cos(z) at
(0, 1, 0). For the partials of f we compute

1 x/y
fx = e cos(z), fx |(0,1,0) = 1
y

fy = xex/y cos(z), fy |(0,1,0) = 0

fz = −ex/y sin(z), fz |(0,1,0) = 0

Since f (0, 1, 0) = 1 we get
L(x, y, z) = 1 + 1 · (x − 0) + 0 · (y − 1) + 0 · (z − 0) = 1 + x
for the linearization. Therefore
f (.003, 1.001, .002) ∼ L(.03, 1.001, .002) = 1 + .003 = 1.003.
The correct answer is (d). 2

Free response questions.

Free Response Question 1. A cardboard rocket takes off horizontally from the edge of a three
foot high table, accelerating in the horizontal direction at twice the acceleration of gravity (as well
as being subject to gravitational acceleration) until it hits the floor. How far from the table does
it get?
Free Response Answer 1. Let g denote the acceleration of gravity. The vertical acceleration
of the rocket is the gravitational one, i.e. y 00 (t) = −g. The horizontal acceleration is given to
be twice the gravitational one, i.e. x 00 (t) = 2g. Hence the total acceleration is →
−
a (t) = 2gbı − gb.
Integrating with respect to time we get the velocity:
→
−
v (t) = → −v + 2gtbı − gtb,
0
→
−
with →
−
v 0 being the initial velocity. Since the rocket takes off from rest, we have →
−
v 0 = 0 . Integrating
again with respect to time we get the position vector
→
− gt2
r (t) = →
−
r 0 + gt2bı − b
2
with →
−
r 0 being the initial position. Since the table is 3 feet high we have →
−
r 0 = 3b and so
 2 
→
− gt
r (t) = gt2bı + 3 − b.
2
2 p
The rocket hits the ground when y(t) = 3 − gt2 = 0, i.e. when t = 6/g. When the rocket hits the
p p
ground the horizontal distance travelled is x( 6/g) = g( 6/g)2 = 6. 2

Free Response Question 2. Find all absolute minima of the function y 4 + xy 3 on the triangle
x ≥ 0, x + y ≤ 1, x − y ≤ 1.

Free Response Answer 2. The critical points of f inside the region occur when f x = fy = 0.
We compute
fx = y 3 fy = 4y 3 + 3xy 2 .
Setting fx = 0 gives y = 0. If y = 0, then fy = 0. So the critical points inside the region are all
points (x, 0) with 0 < x < 1.

On the boundary x = 0, −1 ≤ y ≤ 1 we have f (0, y) = y 4 . The minimum of y 4 on [−1, 1] occurs

at y = 0. So on the x = 0, −1 ≤ y ≤ 1 the minimum of f occurs at (0, 0).
 On the boundary x = 1 − y, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1 we have f (1 − y, y) = y 4 + (1 − y)y 3 = y 3 . Thus the
minimum of f on x = 1 − y, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1 occurs at (1, 0).

On the boundary x = 1 + y, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1 we have f (1 + y, y) = y 4 + (1 + y)y 3 = 2y 4 + y 3 . We

compute
d(2y 4 + y 3 )
= 8y 3 + 3y 2 .
dy
The critical points are y = 0 and y = −3/8. The value of f (1 + y, y) at −3/8 is negative, and the
values f (1 + y, y) at the end points y = 0 and y = 1 is non-negative. Thus the minimum of f (x, y)
on x = 1 + y, 0 ≤ y ≤ 1 occurs at (5/8, −3/8) and is equal to f (−3/8, 5/8) = −27/2048.
Consequently, the minimum of f on the whole region will occur at one of the points (x, 0),
0 ≤ x ≤ 1 or at the point (−3/8, 5/8). Since f (x, 0) = 0 for all 0 ≤ x ≤ 1, it follows that the global
minimum of f occurs at (−3/8, 5/8) and is equal to −27/2048. 2

l
Free Response Question 3. The functions R = A and V = πlr 2 determine the resistance and
r2
volume of a wire in terms of its length, l, and cross-sectional radius, r (where A is a constant of
the material). If we consider these equations as specifying l and r as functions of R and V , then
what is ∂l/∂R?

Free Response Answer 3. Thinking of l and r as functions of R and V we compute the partial
l
derivative of the identities V = πlr 2 and R = A 2 with respect to R to get
r
∂l 2 ∂r
0=π r + 2πlr
∂R ∂R

∂l 1 ∂r l
1=A − 2A
∂R r 2 ∂R r 3
Multiplying the first equation by A and the second by πr 4 and adding up the results we get
∂l
πr 4 = (Aπr 2 + Aπr 2 ) ,
∂R
or √
∂l r2 V
= = √ .
∂R 2A 2 πRA
2