Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

Student Name

Teacher NKO LFU LFU DYE DDB NKO MDA BJI FWA MDA

Class A B C D E F G H I J

2024 MATHEMATICAL METHODS

Application Task Component 1

Term 2, Week 3, Lesson 1

Reading time: 5 minutes
Writing time: 50 minutes

Number of Number of questions Number of

questions to be answered marks
4 4 29

• Students are permitted to bring into the examination room: pens, pencils, highlighters,
erasers, sharpeners, rulers, one CAS and/or one scientific calculator. A bound reference
book is permitted.
• Students are not permitted to bring into the examination room: blank sheets of paper
and/or white out liquid/tape.
Materials supplied
• Question and answer book of 8 pages including a formula sheet.
• Working space is provided throughout this booklet.
Instructions
• Write your name in the space provided above on this page.
• All responses must be written in English.

Students are NOT permitted to bring mobile phones and/or any other unauthorised
electronic devices into the examination room.

Students must not disclose the contents of the task; to do so will be a breach of VCE
guidelines and will be dealt with according to VCAA regulations.

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

Instructions
Answer all questions in the space provided.
Unless otherwise specified an exact answer is required to a question.
In questions where more than one mark is available, appropriate working must be shown.
The axes on any graphs must be labelled.

You have graduated from Balwyn High School and are now enrolled in Aerospace Engineering at The
University of Melbourne. Your first assessment in university is to investigate various aspects of
designing an aircraft, which shall be explored in the following application task.

Question 1 (7 marks)
To design the aircraft, it is important for you to understand the temperature outside the aircraft for
various altitudes (height above the ground).
The model used to represent this relationship is selected as:
𝑇(𝑥) = 𝐴𝑠𝑖𝑛(𝑛𝑥 + 𝑏) + 𝑐
where 𝑇 represents the Temperature in degrees Celsius ( 𝑜 𝐶), and 𝑥 represents the altitude in
kilometers (𝑘𝑚).
You know that the maximum temperature is 20𝑜 𝐶, which occurs when 𝑥 = 0 𝑘𝑚 and 𝑥 = 50 𝑘𝑚.
The minimum temperature is −70𝑜 𝐶.
a. Determine the values of 𝐴, 𝑛, 𝑏 and 𝑐 for this model. 3 marks

b. Another student informs you that a cosine function would be more appropriate for this model.
State a cosine function, 𝑇𝑐 (𝑥), such that 𝑇𝑐 (𝑥) = 𝑇(𝑥). 1 mark

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

c. Your professor states that the optimal temperature range for the aircraft is between −10𝑜 𝐶 to
10𝑜 𝐶 (inclusive), when flying at altitudes less than 50 𝑘𝑚.
d.
Determine the range of altitudes that would provide this temperature range. Express your
answer in interval notation, with altitudes in kilometers correct to one decimal place. 3 marks

Question 2 (4 marks)
Your aircraft must be able to communicate with air control through radio signals. The signal strength
of the radio signal from the aircraft to air control can be modelled by the function below:

𝑅(𝑥) = −√𝑎𝑥 + 65, 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 65

where 𝑅(𝑥) is the signal strength, 𝑥 is the distance of the aircraft from air control (𝑘𝑚), and 𝑎 ∈ 𝑅 +.
The signal strength of the radio signal from air control to the aircraft can be modelled by the inverse
function, 𝑅 −1 (𝑥)

a. State the equation of 𝑅 −1 (𝑥) in terms of a. Include the range of 𝑅 −1 (𝑥). 2 marks

b. The signal strength of both 𝑅(𝑥) and 𝑅 −1 (𝑥) are equal to 0 at their endpoints.

i. State the value of 𝑎 1 mark

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

ii. Hence state the coordinate such that the signal strength, 𝑅(𝑥) is equal to the distance.
Provide the coordinate correct to 1 decimal place. 1 mark

Question 3 (12 marks)

The launch of the aircraft has three stages and can be modelled by the piecewise function below.

𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 1: 𝑎𝑥 2 , 0 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 80
𝑓(𝑥) = {𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 2: 16𝑥 − 640, 80 < 𝑥 < 100
𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒 3: 𝑚 log 𝑒 (0.1𝑥 − 9) +𝑛, 100 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 160

where 𝑓(𝑥) is the vertical altitude of the aircraft and 𝑥 is the horizontal distance (meters).
a. Given that when 𝑥 = 40, the altitude is 160, show that 𝑎 = 0.1. 1 mark

b. State the gradient of 𝑓(𝑥) when 𝑥 = 40. 1 mark

c. Show that the gradient and altitude for 𝑓(𝑥) are equal at 𝑥 = 80 for stage 1 and stage 2.
2 marks

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

d. State the maximal domain for the equation 𝑚 log 𝑒 (0.1𝑥 − 9) + 𝑛. 1 mark

After the aircraft reaches its highest point, the landing process will start. The landing pathway will
follow the function 𝑔(𝑥).
𝑔(𝑥) is a transformation of 𝑓(𝑥) where 𝑓(𝑥) is reflected around the line 𝑥 = 160. The aircraft will
stop after it lands on the ground.
e. State the sequence of transformations which takes 𝑓(𝑥) to 𝑔(𝑥). (Note: all reflections must be
relative to the 𝑥 and 𝑦 axis.) 2 marks

f. Given that 𝑚 = 160 and 𝑛 = 960, apply the transformations found in part f. to the function
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑚 log e (0.1𝑥 − 9) + 𝑛, 100 ≤ 𝑥 ≤ 160.

State the resulting function and its domain.

2 marks

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

g. Sketch both 𝑓(𝑥) and 𝑔(𝑥) on the grid below, label all the connections and endpoints with
their coordinates in exact values. 3 marks

Question 4 (6 marks)
The final component of your assessment is to design satellite orbits.
You have selected the following 2D orbit paths (where 𝑥 is a real number representing a directional
distance):
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Satellite orbit 1: 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑒 𝑥−8

Satellite orbit 2: 𝑔(𝑥) = −0.05𝑥 2 − 0.3𝑥 + 15

Satellite orbit 3: 𝑔(𝑓(𝑥))

a. Show that 𝑔(𝑓(𝑥)) exists. 1 mark

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 Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1

b. Find the equation of the tangent line of 𝑔(𝑥) at 𝑥 = 8. 2 marks

c. Use CAS to show that the coordinates of the intersection between Satellite orbit 1 and
Satellite orbit 3 is at (2.53, 8.66), correct to two decimal places. 1 mark

After finding the intersection point, you are tasked with designing satellite orbit 4.
Satellite orbit 4 will follow a linear function, traveling from the origin to the intersection point
between Satellite orbit 1 and Satellite orbit 3.
d. Find the distance for satellite 4 to reach the intersection between Satellite 1 and Satellite
3. Answer corrects to two decimal places. 1 mark

e. Determine the acute angle between Satellite orbit 4’s path and the x-axis in degrees,
correct to one decimal place. 1 mark

END OF TASK

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Mathematical Methods Unit 3: Application Task Component 1