Related Rates - Area of a Triangle

The Organic Chemistry Tutor
28 Feb 201810:11
EducationalLearning
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TLDRThis tutorial delves into related rate problems involving triangles, focusing on how to calculate the rate of change of a triangle's area given varying conditions. It first addresses a right triangle with a base and height that increase at different rates, using the product rule for differentiation. The example involves a triangle with sides of 8 cm and 10 cm, leading to a calculation of the area's rate of change in square centimeters per minute. The tutorial then explores a generic triangle with fixed side lengths and a varying angle, using the formula for the area involving sine and applying the chain rule to find the rate of area change in square meters per minute. The examples provided offer clear, step-by-step methods for solving related rate problems in the context of triangles.

Takeaways
  • ๐Ÿ“ The tutorial focuses on related rate problems involving triangles, specifically how changes in side lengths or angles affect the area of a triangle.
  • ๐Ÿ“ˆ For a right triangle with a base increasing at 3 cm/min and height at 5 cm/min, the area's rate of change is determined by differentiating the area formula (1/2 * base * height) with respect to time.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ The product rule is used for differentiation, which states that the derivative of a product of two functions is the derivative of the first function times the second function plus the first function times the derivative of the second function.
  • ๐Ÿ“Œ At a specific moment when the base is 8 cm and the height is 10 cm, the area's rate of change (dA/dt) is calculated to be 35 square centimeters per minute.
  • ๐Ÿ”ฝ Units for the rate of change of area (dA/dt) are derived from the units of the sides (centimeters) and the units of area (square centimeters), resulting in square centimeters per minute.
  • ๐Ÿ”ถ In a generic triangle with fixed side lengths, the area is given by the formula: Area = 1/2 * a * b * sin(C), where a and b are the side lengths and C is the angle between them.
  • ๐ŸŒ€ When the angle C between two fixed sides is changing at a rate of 0.15 radians/min, the sides a and b are treated as constants, and their derivatives with respect to time (da/dt and db/dt) are zero.
  • ๐Ÿ“ The rate of change of the area in the generic triangle is found by differentiating the area formula and applying the chain rule to the sine function, which involves the derivative of the angle (cosine of C) times the rate of change of the angle (dC/dt).
  • ๐Ÿ“Š Upon calculation, the area of the generic triangle is found to be increasing by 1.5 square meters per minute when the angle between the two sides is pi/3 radians.
  • ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ The concept of related rates can be applied to various geometric shapes to determine how quickly a certain property, such as area, changes over time due to variations in dimensions or angles.
  • ๐Ÿ‘€ Understanding related rates is crucial for solving problems in calculus and has practical applications in fields such as physics and engineering where rates of change are significant.
Q & A
  • What is the main topic of the tutorial?

    -The main topic of the tutorial is related rate problems as they pertain to triangles.

  • How fast is the base of the right triangle increasing?

    -The base of the right triangle is increasing at a rate of 3 centimeters per minute.

  • At what rate is the height of the right triangle increasing?

    -The height of the right triangle is increasing at a rate of 5 centimeters per minute.

  • What is the formula used to calculate the area of a right triangle?

    -The formula used to calculate the area of a right triangle is one half times base times height (1/2 * base * height).

  • When the base and height are 8 centimeters and 10 centimeters respectively, how fast is the area of the triangle changing?

    -The area of the triangle is changing at a rate of 35 square centimeters per minute when the base and height are 8 centimeters and 10 centimeters respectively.

  • What is the unit for the rate of change of the area?

    -The unit for the rate of change of the area is square centimeters per minute.

  • What are the two fixed side lengths of the generic triangle in the second problem?

    -The two fixed side lengths of the generic triangle in the second problem are 5 meters and 8 meters.

  • What is the formula for the area of a generic triangle?

    -The formula for the area of a generic triangle is one half times side a times side b times the sine of angle c (1/2 * a * b * sin(c)).

  • How fast is the angle between the two fixed sides of the triangle changing?

    -The angle between the two fixed sides of the triangle is changing at a rate of 0.15 radians per minute.

  • How much does the area of the triangle increase by every minute according to the second problem?

    -The area of the triangle increases by 1.5 square meters every minute according to the second problem.

  • What would be the increase in the area of the triangle after 10 minutes?

    -The area of the triangle would increase by 15 square meters after 10 minutes.

Outlines
00:00
๐Ÿ“ Related Rate Problems - Right Triangle Area

This paragraph introduces a tutorial focused on related rate problems concerning triangles, specifically a right triangle. The scenario involves the base and height of the triangle increasing at rates of 3 cm/min and 5 cm/min, respectively. The task is to determine how fast the area of the triangle is changing when the base and height are 8 cm and 10 cm. The explanation includes drawing the triangle, explaining the formula for the area of a right triangle (1/2 * base * height), and using differentiation with respect to time to find the rate of change of the area (da/dt). The process involves differentiating the equation using the product rule and plugging in the given values to calculate da/dt as 35 square centimeters per minute.

05:00
๐Ÿ“ Triangle Area Change with Varying Angle

The second paragraph discusses a problem involving a generic triangle with two fixed side lengths of 5 meters and 8 meters and a varying angle between them. The angle is increasing at a rate of 0.15 radians per minute. The goal is to find out how fast the area of the triangle is changing when the angle is pi/3 radians. The area formula for a generic triangle is given as 1/2 * a * b * sin(c), where a, b, and c represent sides and angle c is the angle between sides a and b. The summary explains that since sides a and b are constants, their derivatives with respect to time are zero, simplifying the differentiation process. The derivative of the sine function is used, applying the chain rule to find the rate of change of the area. The final calculation results in an area increase of 1.5 square meters per minute.

Mindmap
Keywords
๐Ÿ’กRelated Rate Problems
Related rate problems are a type of mathematical challenge that involves calculating the rate of change of one quantity based on the rates of change of other related quantities. In the context of the video, this concept is applied to find out how quickly the area of a triangle changes when its base and height are increasing at different rates. The video uses related rate problems to explore the dynamics of triangles and their areas.
๐Ÿ’กRight Triangle
A right triangle is a type of triangle that has one angle measuring exactly 90 degrees. The area of a right triangle is calculated as one-half the product of its base and height. In the video, the base and height of a right triangle are given as 8 cm and 10 cm, respectively, and the task is to find out how fast the area is changing when these dimensions are increasing at certain rates.
๐Ÿ’กArea
Area refers to the amount of space enclosed within a two-dimensional shape. In the context of the video, the area of a triangle is calculated using the formula: one-half the product of its base and height for right triangles and one-half the product of two sides and the sine of the included angle for non-right triangles. The video focuses on determining the rate of change of the area of triangles with respect to time.
๐Ÿ’กDifferentiation
Differentiation is a mathematical process that involves finding the derivative of a function, which represents the rate of change of the function with respect to its variable. In the video, differentiation is used to find the rate at which the area of a triangle changes over time, by taking the derivative of the area with respect to time.
๐Ÿ’กProduct Rule
The product rule is a fundamental rule in calculus that describes how to differentiate the product of two functions. According to the product rule, the derivative of a product of two functions is the derivative of the first function times the second function plus the first function times the derivative of the second function. In the video, the product rule is applied to differentiate the expression for the area of the right triangle when both the base and the height are changing.
๐Ÿ’กChain Rule
The chain rule is a technique in calculus used to find the derivative of a composite function, which is a function composed of multiple functions nested together. The chain rule states that the derivative of a composite function is the derivative of the outer function evaluated at the inner function times the derivative of the inner function. In the video, the chain rule is used to differentiate the sine function in the area formula of the non-right triangle with respect to time.
๐Ÿ’กRate of Change
The rate of change is a mathematical term that describes how quickly a quantity changes with respect to another quantity. It is often represented as the derivative of a function and is used to analyze the behavior of functions and their rates of change over time. In the video, the rate of change is used to determine how fast the area of a triangle changes as its dimensions or angles vary over time.
๐Ÿ’กCentimeters and Meters
Centimeters and meters are units of length in the metric system. One meter is equivalent to 100 centimeters. These units are used in the video to represent the dimensions of the triangles and to calculate the area in square centimeters or square meters.
๐Ÿ’กTrigonometry
Trigonometry is a branch of mathematics that deals with the relationships between the angles and sides of triangles. It is particularly useful in solving problems involving right triangles and non-right triangles. In the video, trigonometry is used to calculate the area of a non-right triangle by relating the sides and the sine of the included angle.
๐Ÿ’กCosine Function
The cosine function is a fundamental concept in trigonometry that represents the ratio of the adjacent side to the hypotenuse in a right triangle. It isๅ‘จๆœŸๆ€ง function that varies between -1 and 1 and is used in the video to calculate the rate of change of the area of a non-right triangle when the angle between two of its sides is changing over time.
Highlights

The tutorial focuses on related rate problems involving triangles, providing a comprehensive explanation of how to tackle such mathematical challenges.

A right triangle's base is increasing at 3 cm/min, and its height at 5 cm/min, offering a real-world scenario for the application of related rates.

The area of a right triangle is calculated as 1/2 * base * height, a fundamental formula used to solve the problem.

The rate of change of the area of the triangle is found by differentiating the area formula with respect to time, showcasing the use of calculus in solving real-world problems.

When the base and height of the triangle are 8 cm and 10 cm respectively, the calculation of the rate of change of the area is demonstrated.

The use of the product rule in differentiation is explained, which is crucial for finding the rate of change when dealing with variables that are products of other variables.

The calculation results in a rate of change of the area (da/dt) of 35 square centimeters per minute when the base and height are at their given lengths and rates.

The units for the rate of change of the area are explained, emphasizing the importance of unit consistency in mathematical problems.

A second problem involving a triangle with fixed side lengths and a changing angle is introduced, highlighting the versatility of the related rates concept.

The area of a generic triangle is given by the formula 1/2 * a * b * sin(c), which is different from that of a right triangle and is essential for solving the second problem.

The angle between two fixed sides of the triangle is increasing at a rate of 0.15 radians per minute, which is the given information for the second problem.

Since the sides of the triangle are of fixed length, their rates of change are zero, simplifying the problem and focusing on the changing angle.

The derivative of the area formula with respect to time is calculated, applying the chain rule and the derivative of sine as cosine.

The area of the triangle is found to be increasing by 1.5 square meters per minute, a clear and practical result of the related rates problem.

The final answer is presented with a clear explanation of the units involved, reinforcing the concept of unit consistency and its importance in problem-solving.

The tutorial concludes by summarizing the process of finding the rate of change of an area for both right and generic triangles, providing a valuable resource for viewers.

Transcripts
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