Calculus 1 : How to find rate of change

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Calculus 1

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Example Questions

Example Question #131 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The radius of a sphere is given with respect to time by the equation .

What is the rate of expansion of the sphere's volume at time ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The volume of a sphere is given by the equation

Since the radius is given as 

The volume can be expressed as:

The rate of change of the volume can then, in turn, by taking the derivative of each side of the equation with respect to time.

Now, we could expand the function outwards, actually cubing it; however this is not necessary. We need only utilize the following derivative rules:

These rules hold even when u is a complex function; just don't assume du is 1!

Following these rules, we can find the derivative:

At time :

Example Question #132 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The legs of a right triangle are given by the formulas .

What is the rate of change of the triangle's hypotenuse at time ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The hypotenuse of a triangle can be found in terms of the triangle's legs using the Pythagorean Theorem:

This equation also enables us to find the rate of change of the hypotenuse; we need only take the derivative with respect to time.

The legs are given as  and .

Plugging this into the equation for the hypotenuse, we find

Now, to take the derivative of this equation, we'll utilize the following rules:

Note that u can represent a complicated function; the du term should not be dismissed!  Consideration of it is known as the chain rule.

With these rules in mind, let's consider the derivative. First, let's rewrite the hypotenuse equation in terms of exponents rather than the square root symbol:

Now let's take the derivative:

Notice how the chain rule was utilized for the functions inside of the square root as well, for example the first term: 

It may seem complicated, but being mindful of order will serve well here.

Now, the rate of change of the hypotenuse at time  is

Example Question #221 : Rate

A circle is expanding in a pulsating manner. The radius is given by the function 

What is the rate of growth of the area at time  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The area of a circle, in terms of its radius, is given by the function:

Since the radius is given by the formula

The area in turn can be expressed as

We're looking for the rate of change of this area now; this can be found by taking the derivative of each side of the equation with respect to time.

To do perform this derivative recall the following derivative properties:

Where  can represent a complex function.

Following these rules, the rate of change of the area can be found to be

At time 

Example Question #134 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The sides of a cube are given by the formula 

What is the rate of change of the cube's surface area at time  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The surface area of a cube is given by the formula

For sides expressed by the formula

The area equation becomes

To  find the rate of change of the surface area, take the derivative of each side of equation with respect to time. We'll utilize the following rules:

Note that u can be a complex function.

Thus the derivative is 

At time 

Example Question #135 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The radius of a sphere is currently , though it begins to expand a rate of . What is the rate of growth of the sphere's surface area?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The surface area of a sphere is given by the formula

We're told that  and 

Now, to find the rate of change of the surface area, take the derivative of the area equation with respect to time:

Example Question #136 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The rate of change of a circle's radius is given by the equation . The circle's radius has an initial value of . What is the rate of growth of the circle's area at time  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We're given a rate of change for the circle's radius

The function for the radius can be found by integrating this function

To find the constant of integration, use the initial condition

Now, the formula for a circle's area is

To find the rate of change, take the derivative with respect to time:

Example Question #137 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The rate of change of the sides of a square is . If the square has an initial area of , what is the rate of change of the area at time  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We're told that the rate of change of the square's sides is  which is to say

The formula for the sides themselves can be found by integrating this equation

To find this constant of integration, we need to know the value of the equation at some point of time. We do not know the initial value of the sides, but we know the initial value of the area which enables us to calculate this:

Now let's return to the area equation

The rate of change of the area can be found by taking the derivative of this equation with respect to time:

Example Question #138 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The rates of change of the width and length of a rectangle are  and  respectively. If the intial widths and lengths are, respectively  and , what is the rate of change of the rectangle's area at time  ? 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The rates of change of the width and length of a rectangle are  and , which is to say

These equations can be used to find formulae for the width and length by taking the integral of each:

These constants of integration can be found by using the initial conditions:

Now the area of a rectangle is given by the formula

The rate of change of the area can be found by taking the derivative of the equation with respect to time:

Example Question #139 : How To Find Rate Of Change

The rate of change of the sides of a square is . What is the rate of change of the area at time  if the the sides have an initial length of ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The rate of change of the sides of a square is , which is to say

.

A formula for the length of the sides themselves can be found by integrating this equation with respect to time:

To find this constant of integration, use the initial condition given

Now, the area of a square is given by the equation

The rate of change of the area can be found by taking the derivative of this equation with respect to time:

Example Question #131 : Rate Of Change

The rate of change of the radius of a circle is given by the equation . What is the rate of growth of the circle's area at time  if the radius has an initial length of  ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The rate of change of the radius of a circle is given by the equation  which is to say

The equation for the length of the radius can be found by taking the integral with respect to time:

This constant of integration can be found by using the initial condition:

The area of a circle is given by the equation

The rate of change of the area can be found by taking the derivative with respect to time:

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