Math Problem Statement

A microwaveable cup-of-soup package needs to be constructed in the shape of cylinder to hold 600 cubic centimeters of soup. The sides and bottom of the container will be made of styrofoam costing 0.03 cents per square centimeter. The top will be made of glued paper, costing 0.07 cents per square centimeter. Find the dimensions for the package that will minimize production cost.

Helpful information: h : height of cylinder, r : radius of cylinder

Volume of a cylinder:

Area of the sides:

Area of the top/bottom:

To minimize the cost of the package: Radius: cm Height: cm Minimum cost: cents

Solution

To find the dimensions of the cylindrical cup-of-soup package that will minimize the production cost, we can follow these steps, using the given information:

Step 1: Set up the equations for volume and surface area.

We know the volume of a cylinder is given by the formula:

V=πr2hV = \pi r^2 h

where:

  • V=600cm3V = 600 \, \text{cm}^3 (the volume of the soup),
  • rr is the radius of the base,
  • hh is the height of the cylinder.

We also need to find the surface area of the cylinder, which consists of:

  1. The area of the sides (lateral surface area), which is:

Asides=2πrhA_{\text{sides}} = 2\pi rh

  1. The area of the bottom (made of styrofoam), which is:

Abottom=πr2A_{\text{bottom}} = \pi r^2

  1. The area of the top (made of glued paper), which is:

Atop=πr2A_{\text{top}} = \pi r^2

Step 2: Express the cost function.

The cost function depends on the surface areas and the material costs:

  • Styrofoam costs 0.03 cents per square centimeter (used for the sides and bottom),
  • Glued paper costs 0.07 cents per square centimeter (used for the top).

Thus, the total cost CC is:

C=0.03(Asides+Abottom)+0.07(Atop)C = 0.03(A_{\text{sides}} + A_{\text{bottom}}) + 0.07(A_{\text{top}})

Substitute the areas into the cost function:

C=0.03(2πrh+πr2)+0.07(πr2)C = 0.03(2\pi rh + \pi r^2) + 0.07(\pi r^2)

Simplifying:

C=0.03(2πrh)+0.03(πr2)+0.07(πr2)C = 0.03(2\pi rh) + 0.03(\pi r^2) + 0.07(\pi r^2) C=0.06πrh+(0.03+0.07)πr2C = 0.06\pi rh + (0.03 + 0.07)\pi r^2 C=0.06πrh+0.10πr2C = 0.06\pi rh + 0.10\pi r^2

Step 3: Use the volume constraint to eliminate hh.

From the volume formula V=πr2h=600V = \pi r^2 h = 600, solve for hh:

h=600πr2h = \frac{600}{\pi r^2}

Substitute this expression for hh into the cost function:

C=0.06πr(600πr2)+0.10πr2C = 0.06\pi r\left(\frac{600}{\pi r^2}\right) + 0.10\pi r^2

Simplifying:

C=0.06×600r+0.10πr2C = 0.06 \times \frac{600}{r} + 0.10\pi r^2 C=36r+0.10πr2C = \frac{36}{r} + 0.10\pi r^2

Step 4: Minimize the cost function.

To find the value of rr that minimizes the cost, take the derivative of CC with respect to rr and set it equal to zero:

dCdr=36r2+0.20πr=0\frac{dC}{dr} = -\frac{36}{r^2} + 0.20\pi r = 0

Solving for rr:

36r2=0.20πr\frac{36}{r^2} = 0.20\pi r

Multiply both sides by r2r^2 to eliminate the denominator:

36=0.20πr336 = 0.20\pi r^3

Solve for r3r^3:

r3=360.20π=360.62857.32r^3 = \frac{36}{0.20\pi} = \frac{36}{0.628} \approx 57.32

Take the cube root:

r57.3233.85cmr \approx \sqrt[3]{57.32} \approx 3.85 \, \text{cm}

Step 5: Calculate the height hh.

Using the volume constraint V=πr2h=600V = \pi r^2 h = 600, solve for hh:

h=600π(3.85)260046.61π5.12cmh = \frac{600}{\pi (3.85)^2} \approx \frac{600}{46.61\pi} \approx 5.12 \, \text{cm}

Step 6: Calculate the minimum cost.

Substitute r3.85cmr \approx 3.85 \, \text{cm} and h5.12cmh \approx 5.12 \, \text{cm} into the cost function:

C=363.85+0.10π(3.85)2C = \frac{36}{3.85} + 0.10\pi (3.85)^2 C9.35+0.10×46.61π9.35+14.6624.01centsC \approx 9.35 + 0.10 \times 46.61\pi \approx 9.35 + 14.66 \approx 24.01 \, \text{cents}

Final Answer:

  • Radius: 3.85cm3.85 \, \text{cm}
  • Height: 5.12cm5.12 \, \text{cm}
  • Minimum cost: 24.01cents24.01 \, \text{cents}

Would you like further details or clarifications?

Related Questions:

  1. What is the relationship between the height and radius in a cylinder for a given volume?
  2. How does the cost of materials affect the optimization of dimensions?
  3. How would the problem change if the top and bottom were made of the same material?
  4. What if the cost of the styrofoam was more expensive than the glued paper?
  5. Can this method be applied to other geometric shapes to minimize production costs?

Tip:

When optimizing, always express one variable in terms of the others using constraints (like volume) to reduce the complexity of the problem.

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Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Geometry
Optimization
Differential Calculus

Formulas

Volume of a cylinder: V = πr²h
Surface area of sides: A_sides = 2πrh
Surface area of top and bottom: A_top/bottom = πr²
Cost function: C = 0.06πrh + 0.10πr²

Theorems

First derivative test for optimization

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 11-12 (Pre-Calculus, Calculus)