Homework 4

(1) Suppose the cost (in dollars) to manufacture p pints of hand sanitizer is given by c(p)

(a) c(90) = 200 means that the cost to manufacture 90 pints of hand sanitizer is $200.

(b) c0 (90) = 1.5 means that at 90 pints, the the rate at which the cost is increasing is 1.5 dollars/pint.

(c) If the per pint manufacturing cost is decreasing as more is manufactured, then c(p2 ) < c(p1 ) for
p2 > p1 , or that c(p2 ) c(p1 ) < 0, meaning c(p) is a decreasing function. A decreasing function
then means that c0 (p) < 0.

(2) A cup of hot tea has its temperature F (in degrees Fahrenheit) at time t given by the function
F (t) = 72 + 120e 0.05t , where time is measured in minutes.
0.05(10+h) 0.05(10)
(72+120e ) (72+120e )
(a) limh!0 h ⇡ 3.6392

h limit
-1 -3.7317
-0.5 -3.6851
-0.25 -3.6620
-0.1 -3.6483
-0.01 -3.6401
-0.001 -3.6393
-0.0001 -3.6392
0.0001 -3.6392
0.001 -3.6391
0.01 -3.6383
0.1 -3.6301
0.25 -3.6165
0.5 -3.5941
1 -3.5497

(b) The units of F 0 (10) are F/min.

(c) F 0 (10) tells you the rate at which the temperature is changing at 10 minutes. Based on (a), the
rate at which the temperature is changing at 10 minutes is 3.6392 F/min (so it is decreasing
by 3.6392 F/min).

(d) As the tea cools, it is expected that it eventually reaches a minimum temperature. It is also
expected that the temperature decreases the greatest at the beginning, and then begins to
change more slowly over time as the temperature approaches the minimum value. Because of
this, F 0 (10) > F 0 (20).

(3) To estimate T 0 (3), we can use the central difference method. Based on this,

T (3 + 1) T (3 1) T (4) T (2) 67 81
T 0 (3) = = = = 7
(3 + 1) (3 1) 2 2
1
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(4) Assume f (x) = 15x. Then, f 0 (x) = 15 as shown below. Based on this, f 0 (3) = 15.

f (x + h) f (x) 15(x + h) 15x 15h

f 0 (x) = lim = lim = lim = lim 15 = 15
h!0 h h!0 h h!0 h h!0
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Homework 5

(1) For a certain function y = g(x), its derivative is given by the function pictured below.

(a) The slope of the tangent line to y = g(x) at ( 1, g( 1)) is given by g 0 ( 1). Based on the graph,
it looks like g 0 ( 1) = 2.5.

(b) First, if g(x) is increasing, then g 0 (x) > 0 at that x-coordinate. Based on the graph, g 0 (x) > 0
on [ 3, 3], so g(x) is increasing on this interval. Secondly, if g(x) is decreasing, then g 0 (x) < 0 at
that x-coordinate. Based on the graph, there is no x-value in the interval given where g 0 (x) < 0.
Because of this, we can say that g(x) is not decreasing on the interval shown (but cannot saw
whether it is decreasing at point not shown of course).

(c) Concavity is determined by g 00 (x) and whether it is positive (concave up) or negative (concave
down). To determine the sign of g 00 (x), we can just look at intervals where g 0 (x) is increase,
meaning g 00 (x) > 0, and intervals where g 0 (x) is decreasing, meaning g 00 (x) < 0. Based on the
graph, g 0 (x) is varying between increasing and decreasing, so that g 00 (x) is varying between
positive and negative. This means that g(x) is varying between concave up and concave down

(d) To get the value of g 00 ( 2), we can use the slope of the tangent line to g 0 (x) at ( 2, g 0 ( 2)).
Based on the graph, it appears the slope at that point is 0, meaning g 00 ( 2) ⇡ 0.

(2) Three functions, f , g, and h are defined as follows. The function f (t) represents the number of
miles covered by time t by a long distance runner who is getting progressively more tired as he runs.
The function g(t) represents the temperature of a pot of hot coffee at time t as it cools off to room
temperature. The function h(t) represents the distance a freight train is from me at time t as it
accelerates from a stop at a station 5 miles away from me at time 0 and then comes right by me on
the tracks some time later.

(a) Graphs shown on separate piece of paper.

(b) f (t) is increasing, because as time goes on, the runner will still be covering more miles despite
getting more tired. g(t) is decreasing, because the the coffee is initially hotter than room
temperature, so the temperature will decrease over time. h(t) is a decreasing function, because
it is a function of how far the train is from me. This means it will start at 5 miles and then as
time progresses, it will get closer to me, meaning the distance between us decreases.

(c) First, it is easy to look at the graphs and say which one is concave up or concave down based on
the shapes. f (t) is concave down, because as time goes on and the runner gets more tired, the
speed at which he is going, namely f 0 (t), will decrease. This means that f 00 (t) < 0 since f 0 (t)
is decreasing, so f is concave down. g(t) is concave up. The tea will cool down fast initially,
and then rate at which it cools slows down over time. This means that the rate at which the
temperature decreases will decrease overtime, or that g 0 (t) becomes less negative overtime.
This means g 0 (t) is increasing, or that g 00 (t) > 0, implying concave up. h(t) is concave down.
Because the train is accelerating from rest, the train initially is traveling slow towards me, and
then later in time is approaching me faster. This means that initially, the rate at which the
distance between us is decreasing is actually slow, and that over time, the distance between
us is decreasing at a faster rate. This means h0 (t) is becoming more negative (larger absolute
value) over time, implying h0 (t) is decreasing. This then means h00 (t) < 0, or that the function
is concave down.

(d) g(t) is a concave up function over all time, so that g 00 (t) > 0 for all t. Based on this, g 00 (3) > 0.

(3) Suppose f 0 (x) = 2x + 4.

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(a) Graph shown on separate piece of paper.

(b) First, f (x) is increasing when f 0 (x) > 0, or when 2x + 4 > 0 ! x > 2. Then, f (x) is decreasing
when f 0 (x) < 0, or when 2x + 4 < 0 ! x < 2.

(c) First, f 00 (x) is the derivative of f 0 (x), meaning that f 00 (x) is the value of the slope of the tangent
line at the points (x, f 0 (x). However, because f 0 (x) = 2x + 4, which is just a line itself, the slope
of the tangent line at every x-coordinate is just the slope of the whole line. This means f 00 (x) = 2.

(d) Because f 00 (x) = 2 > 0 for all x, we have that f (x) is concave up for all of x.

(4) The graphs are given on a separate sheet of paper.

increasing and concave up ex
increasing and concave down log(x)
decreasing and concave up e x

decreasing and concave down log( x)