icanthearyou
New member
- Joined
- May 3, 2012
- Messages
- 3
-----------------------
A team has been working to convert diesel-powered cars to run just as efficiently on used cooking oil! They want to compare the mileage and speed of their prototype with that of the diesel-powered car.
The prototype is 100 meters south of an intersection, while the diesel car is 100 meters east of the intersection. Both vehicles start moving at the same time. The prototype moves north, toward the intersection, and the diesel car moves east, away from the intersection. If the prototype is traveling at a velocity of 3 meters per second and the diesel car is traveling at 2 meters per second, what is the rate of change of the distance between the cars after four seconds? Round off your answer to two decimal places.
-----------------------
I've been trying to do this for a very long time, yet the answer is still wrong, here's pretty much what I tried:
Prototype's Distance, P = 100 m.
Prototype's Speed, dP/dt = - 3 m./sec. (Negative because the distance from the intersection is decreasing)
Diesel's Distance , D = 100 m.
Diesel's Speed, dD/dt = 2 m./sec.
Time, t = 4 secs.
Distance Between Cars = d
Find dd/dt:
Distance D travels in 4 secs. = D2, so
D2 = D + (dD/dt)(4)
D2 = 100 + [2(4)]
D2 = 100 + 8
D2 = 108
Distance P Travels in 4 secs. = P2, so
P2 = P + (dP/dt)(t)
Since distance is always positive, dP/dt is positive, so
P2 = 100 + [3(4)]
P2 = 100 + 12
P2 = 112
d² = (D2)² + (P2)²
d² = (108)² + (112)²
d² = 11664 + 12544
d² = 24208
d = √24208
d = 155.58
Differentiating Implicitly Over Time,
2d(dd/dt) = 2(D2)(dD/dt) + 2(P2)(dP/dt)
d(dd/dt) = (D2)(dD/dt) + (P2)(dP/dt)
155.58(dd/dt) = 108(2) + 112(- 3)
155.58(dd/dt) = 216 - 336
155.58(dd/dt) = - 120
dd/dt = - 120 / 155.58
dd/dt = - 0.7713
Any ideas? am I doing something wrong?