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asked in Science & MathematicsMathematics · 8 months ago

Calculus 1 related rates involving trigonometry?

Fins has swallowed the bait and he is being reeled in towards the pier at a rate of 0.5 feet per second. (This is the rate at which the length of the fishing line is decreasing). His path, shown by the dotted line, make a constant angle of (pi/3) radians with the vertical. The vertical distance between the top of the fishing scale and the surface of the water where Fins will emerge is 12 feet. How fast is the angle changing when it is (pi/6) radians?

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  • 8 months ago
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    The angle just below the left end of the dotted line is pi/3 radians, so the angle just above that is pi - (pi/3) = 2pi/3 radians. So the angle above the right end of the dotted line is pi - (2pi/3) - ϴ = (pi/3) - ϴ radians. So the Sine Rule gives us:

    sin((pi/3) - ϴ) / 12 = sin(2pi/3) / x

    sin((pi/3) - ϴ) / 12 = sqrt(0.75) / x

    x*sin((pi/3) - ϴ) = 12*sqrt(0.75)

    x*sin((pi/3) - ϴ) = sqrt(108)

    x = sqrt(108) / sin((pi/3) - ϴ)

    dx/dϴ = 6*sqrt(3)*tan(ϴ + (pi/6))*sec(ϴ + (pi/6))

    dx/dt = -0.5

    By the Chain Rule:

    dx/dt = dx/dϴ * dϴ/dt

    -0.5 = 6*sqrt(3)*tan(ϴ + (pi/6))*sec(ϴ + (pi/6)) * dϴ/dt

    dϴ/dt = -0.5 / (6*sqrt(3)*tan(ϴ + (pi/6))*sec(ϴ + (pi/6)))

    When ϴ = pi/6 radians:

    dϴ/dt = -0.5 / (6*sqrt(3)*tan((pi/6) + (pi/6))*sec((pi/6) + (pi/6)))

    dϴ/dt = -1/72 radians per second

    ...Show more
  • Anonymous
    8 months ago

    Find how x depends on θ.

    Law of sines

    x / sin (2π/3) = 12 / sin (π- 2π/3-θ)

    x / (√3/2) = 12 / sin (π/3-θ)

    x = 6√3 / sin (π/3-θ) 

    x = 12√3 / (√3 cos θ - sin θ)

    dx/dθ = 12 (3 sin θ + √3 cos θ)/(√3 cos θ - sin θ)²

    multiply by dt/dt

    (dx/dt)(dt/dθ) = 12 (3 sin θ + √3 cos θ)/(√3 cos θ - sin θ)²

    plug in dx/dt=1/2

    (dt/dθ) = 24 (3 sin θ + √3 cos θ)/(√3 cos θ - sin θ)²

    dθ/dt = (√3 cos θ - sin θ)² / (24 (3 sin θ + √3 cos θ))

    this can be simplified a little bit

    dθ/dt = (√3/36) (cos(θ + π/6) cot(θ + π/6))

    Plug in θ=π/6

    dθ/dt (θ=π/6) = (√3/36) (cos(π/3) cot(π/3))

    = (√3/36) (1/2) (1/√3)

    = 1/72

    ...Show more
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