maths.free › Calculus › Related rates and optimisation

Related rates and optimisation

Turning a word problem into a derivative: what is changing, what is fixed, what is extreme.

Related rates differentiate a relation with respect to time; optimisation sets a derivative to zero. Both begin by naming the variables and writing the one equation that ties them. Picture it: the graph of the quantity being optimised; the peak is where the tangent is flat. Think it: Lagrange multipliers extend the same idea to constrained problems in many variables.

Fungerat exempel · maximum of -x^2 + 4x

Calculus · Extrema

Critical points of -x^2 + 4x

- x^{2} + 4 x

Steg för steg

  1. f(x) = - x^{2} + 4 x

    Critical points are where f′(x) = 0 or is undefined.

  2. f'(x) = 4 - 2 x

    Differentiate.

  3. x = 2

    Solve f′(x) = 0.

  4. f''(x) = -2

    Second-derivative test: f″ < 0 → maximum, f″ > 0 → minimum.

  5. f''(2) = -2 \Rightarrow (2, 4) \text{ is a local maximum}

Avslöja svaret
(2, 4)\ \text{local maximum}

Nu är det din tur. Välj ett problem, skriv eller rita ditt eget. Varje steg, en bild, svaret dolt tills du frågar.

Fortsätt jobba.

Ett gratis konto lägger till anteckningar om varje lektion, en förteckning över vad du har avslutat, dina lösta problem på ett ställe, och en handledare du kan fråga om denna sida. Matematiken i sig är öppen för alla, inloggad eller inte.

Registrera dig Inloggning

Symboler som används här

Knacka på alla symboler för den fullständiga definitionen, en bild, och vad varje bokstav i den betyder.

Hur man: Related rates and optimisation

  1. Critical points are where f′(x) = 0 or is undefined.
  2. Differentiate.
  3. Solve f′(x) = 0.
  4. Second-derivative test: f″ < 0 → maximum, f″ > 0 → minimum.

Frågor folk frågar

What is a derivative in one sentence?

The slope of the graph at a point, the rate at which the output is changing there. Speed is the derivative of position.

What is an integral in one sentence?

The accumulated total of a rate: the area under the curve. Distance travelled is the integral of speed.

Why are derivatives and integrals opposites?

That is the fundamental theorem of calculus: accumulating a rate and then measuring how fast the accumulation grows gets you back the rate. Integration undoes differentiation up to a constant.

When do I use substitution and when integration by parts?

Substitution when part of the integrand is the derivative of another part (u and du both present). Parts when the integrand is a product of two unrelated kinds of function, a polynomial times an exponential, log or trig function.

Mer information Calculus

LimitsDerivativesIntegralsDefinite integralsTaylor seriesSeries and sumsMaxima and minimaThe chain ruleImplicit differentiationIntegration techniques: substitution, parts, partial fractionsApplications of integration: area, volume, arc lengthInfinite series and convergence tests