Math Problem Statement

Sand falls from a conveyor belt at a rate of 10 m cubed divided by min onto the top of a conical pile. The height of the pile is always​ three-eighths of the base diameter. How fast are the height and the radius changing when the pile is 7 m​ high? Answer in centimeters per minute.

Solution

We are dealing with a related rates problem where sand forms a conical pile. The rate at which the volume of sand is increasing is given, and we are asked to find how fast the height and radius of the pile are changing when the height is 7 meters.

Given:

  • The rate of change of volume dVdt=10m3/min\frac{dV}{dt} = 10 \, \text{m}^3/\text{min}.
  • The height hh of the cone is always 38\frac{3}{8} of the base diameter. This implies h=34rh = \frac{3}{4}r, where rr is the radius of the base.

Volume of a cone:

The formula for the volume of a cone is: V=13πr2hV = \frac{1}{3} \pi r^2 h Substituting h=34rh = \frac{3}{4}r into the volume formula: V=13πr2(34r)=π4r3V = \frac{1}{3} \pi r^2 \left( \frac{3}{4}r \right) = \frac{\pi}{4} r^3

Step 1: Differentiate with respect to time tt

To find how fast the radius rr is changing, we differentiate the volume equation V=π4r3V = \frac{\pi}{4} r^3 with respect to time tt: dVdt=π43r2drdt\frac{dV}{dt} = \frac{\pi}{4} \cdot 3r^2 \cdot \frac{dr}{dt} dVdt=3π4r2drdt\frac{dV}{dt} = \frac{3\pi}{4} r^2 \frac{dr}{dt}

Step 2: Solve for drdt\frac{dr}{dt}

We are given dVdt=10m3/min\frac{dV}{dt} = 10 \, \text{m}^3/\text{min}, so we substitute that into the equation: 10=3π4r2drdt10 = \frac{3\pi}{4} r^2 \frac{dr}{dt} Now we need to find rr when h=7mh = 7 \, \text{m}. From h=34rh = \frac{3}{4}r, we can solve for rr: 7=34rr=7×43=283m7 = \frac{3}{4}r \quad \Rightarrow \quad r = \frac{7 \times 4}{3} = \frac{28}{3} \, \text{m} Substitute r=283r = \frac{28}{3} into the differentiated volume equation: 10=3π4(283)2drdt10 = \frac{3\pi}{4} \left( \frac{28}{3} \right)^2 \frac{dr}{dt} Simplify: 10=3π4×7849drdt10 = \frac{3\pi}{4} \times \frac{784}{9} \frac{dr}{dt} 10=3π×78436drdt10 = \frac{3\pi \times 784}{36} \frac{dr}{dt} 10=2352π36drdt10 = \frac{2352\pi}{36} \frac{dr}{dt} 10=196π3drdt10 = \frac{196\pi}{3} \frac{dr}{dt} Solve for drdt\frac{dr}{dt}: drdt=30196π=1598πm/min\frac{dr}{dt} = \frac{30}{196\pi} = \frac{15}{98\pi} \, \text{m/min} Convert to centimeters per minute: drdt=1598π×100cm/min\frac{dr}{dt} = \frac{15}{98\pi} \times 100 \, \text{cm/min} drdt150098π4.87cm/min\frac{dr}{dt} \approx \frac{1500}{98\pi} \approx 4.87 \, \text{cm/min}

Step 3: Find dhdt\frac{dh}{dt}

Since h=34rh = \frac{3}{4}r, we differentiate both sides: dhdt=34drdt\frac{dh}{dt} = \frac{3}{4} \frac{dr}{dt} Substitute drdt4.87cm/min\frac{dr}{dt} \approx 4.87 \, \text{cm/min}: dhdt=34×4.873.65cm/min\frac{dh}{dt} = \frac{3}{4} \times 4.87 \approx 3.65 \, \text{cm/min}

Final Answer:

  • The radius is changing at approximately 4.87cm/min4.87 \, \text{cm/min}.
  • The height is changing at approximately 3.65cm/min3.65 \, \text{cm/min}.

Would you like further clarification or details on any step?

Related Questions:

  1. How would the solution change if the height was half the base diameter?
  2. What happens if the sand falls at a faster rate, say 20m3/min20 \, \text{m}^3/\text{min}?
  3. How does the relationship between height and radius affect the rate of change in the volume?
  4. Can you calculate the rate of change of the surface area of the cone at the same height?
  5. How does the rate of change of the radius compare to the rate of change of the height for different cone dimensions?

Tip:

For related rates problems, always identify the key relationships (equations) between variables before differentiating, as it simplifies the calculations later.

Ask a new question for Free

By Image

Drop file here or Click Here to upload

Math Problem Analysis

Mathematical Concepts

Related Rates
Conic Sections
Differentiation

Formulas

Volume of a cone: V = (1/3)πr²h
Relationship between height and radius: h = (3/4)r
Differentiation: dV/dt = (π/4)r² dr/dt

Theorems

Chain Rule
Implicit Differentiation

Suitable Grade Level

Grades 11-12 (Advanced High School Calculus)