Rates of Change

Volume of cube: V = s3.

Rate of change of volume V

dV
with respect to (rate of change of ) its side s: = 3s2.
ds

z2
Area of right isosceles triangle of side z: A = .
2
dA
Rate of change of area A with respect to z: = z.
dz
 1
Height of free-falling object: y(t) = − gt2 + v0t + y0.
2
Initial height: y(0) = y0.

Velocity:
dy
Rate of change of height with respect to time: = −gt + v0.
dt
If this is positive, the object is rising.
If this is negative, the object is falling.
Initial velocity: y 0(0) = v0

Acceleration:
Rate of change of velocity with respect to time: −g.
This is negative, because gravity pulls downward.
Rates of Change with the Chain Rule

Volume of cube: V = s3.

Rate of change of volume V with respect to its side s:
dV
= 3s2.
ds
ds
Rate of change of the side s with respect to the time t: .
dt
Rate of change of the volume V with respect to the time t:
dV dV ds 2 ds
= · = 3s .
dt ds dt 2
dt
The volume is changing 3s times as fast
as the side s is changing.
dV
dV
Note that = 3s2 = dt .
ds ds
dt
 z2
Area of right isosceles triangle of side z: A = .
2
dA
Rate of change of area A with respect to the side z: = z.
dz
dz
Rate of change of the side z with respect to the time t: .
dt

Rate of change of the area A with respect to the time t:

dA dA dz dz
= · =z .
dt dz dt dt

The area is changing z times as fast as the side z is changing.

dA
dA
Note that = z = dt .
dz dz
dt
 A particle is moving in circular orbit x2 + y 2 = 100.
As it passes through the point (-6,8) its x-coordinate is decreas-
ing at 4 units per second. How is the y-coordinate changing?
p
Explicit way: y = 100 − x2,
dx
dy −2x −(−6)(−4) −24
= √ dt =p = = −3.
dt 2 100 − x 2 100 − (−6) 2 8
The y-coordinate is decreasing at 3 units per second

Implicit way: x2(t) + y 2(t) = 100.

d
: 2x(t)x0(t) + 2y(t)y 0(t) = 0
dt
0 x(t)x0(t) (−6)(−4)
y (t) = − =− = −3.
y(t) 8
 A triangle with sides of fixed length 3 and a, has a variable
side x and a variable angle θ between the sides of length x and
3. At an instant when θ equals π2 and when x is increasing at
a rate of 2 units per second, how is θ changing?
a2 = 32 + x2 − 2 · 3 · x · cos θ (Law of cosines)
dx dx dθ
0 = 0 + 2x −2·3· · cos θ − 2 · 3 · x · (− sin θ)
dt dt dt
dx dx π π dθ
0 = 0 + 2x −2·3· · cos − 2 · 3 · x · (− sin )
dt dt 2 2 dt
dθ
0 = 0 + 2x · (2) − 2 · 3 · (2) · (0) − 2 · 3 · x · (−1)
dt
dθ
0=0+ (2) − 3 · ·(−1)
dt
θ decreases at the rate of two-thirds of a radian per second.