Math  /  Calculus

QuestionA rock is thrown into a still pond and causes a circular ripple. If the radius of the ripple is increasing at a rate of 4 feet per second, how fast is the circumference changing when the radius is 15 feet?
Change in circumference ==

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? If a ripple grows outwards at a speed of 44 feet per second, how quickly is the outer edge of the ripple growing when the ripple has a radius of 1515 feet? Watch out! We're dealing with *rates of change* here, so we'll need some calculus!
Don't mix up radius and circumference.

STEP 2

1. Define the relationship between circumference and radius.
2. Differentiate with respect to time.
3. Plug in the given values.
4. Calculate the result.

STEP 3

We know that the circumference CC of a circle is related to its radius rr by the formula C=2πrC = 2 \cdot \pi \cdot r.
This is our **starting point**!

STEP 4

We want to find how fast the circumference is changing *with respect to time*, so we'll differentiate both sides of our equation with respect to tt (time).
Remember, both CC and rr are functions of time!

STEP 5

Differentiating C=2πrC = 2 \cdot \pi \cdot r with respect to tt gives us dCdt=2πdrdt\frac{dC}{dt} = 2 \cdot \pi \cdot \frac{dr}{dt}.
Remember, the derivative of rr with respect to tt is drdt\frac{dr}{dt}, and 2π2 \cdot \pi is a constant that comes along for the ride!

STEP 6

We're given that the radius is increasing at a rate of **44 feet per second**.
This means drdt=4\frac{dr}{dt} = 4.
We want to find dCdt\frac{dC}{dt} when r=15r = 15, but notice that rr doesn't even appear in our differentiated equation!
That makes things easier!

STEP 7

Substituting drdt=4\frac{dr}{dt} = 4 into our equation, we get dCdt=2π4\frac{dC}{dt} = 2 \cdot \pi \cdot 4.

STEP 8

Now, we just multiply! dCdt=8π\frac{dC}{dt} = 8\pi.
So, the circumference is changing at a rate of 8π8\pi feet per second.
Awesome!

STEP 9

When the radius is 1515 feet, the circumference is changing at a rate of 8π8\pi feet per second.

Was this helpful?

Studdy solves anything!

banner

Start learning now

Download Studdy AI Tutor now. Learn with ease and get all help you need to be successful at school.

ParentsInfluencer programContactPolicyTerms
TwitterInstagramFacebookTikTokDiscord