MODULE 5:

RATE OF CHANGE

Engr. John Philip Nadal III

Instructor 1
 DEFINITION
The idea of rate of change of a function occurs constantly in
everyday experience. Such familiar expressions as miles per hour
(mph), miles per gallon, pressure per square inch, value per acre, price
per ton, all represent rates.
Given a function, 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥)
The derivative of the function which is,
𝑑𝑦 ∆𝑦
= lim
𝑑𝑥 ∆𝑥→0 ∆𝑥
is the instantaneous rate of change of 𝑦 with respect to 𝑥.
∆𝑦
The ratio is the average rate of change over the interval ∆𝑥. As
∆𝑥
∆𝑥 approaches zero, this ratio in general approaches a limiting value,
which is defined as the rate of change of 𝑦 corresponding to the given
value of 𝑥 or the instantaneous rate of change.

Therefore, we can say that the derivative, slope of a graph and

rate of change are all equal to each other.
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 1:
Find the rate at which the reciprocal of a number changes as the
number increases.
Solution:
Let 𝑛 be the number and 𝑟 its reciprocal:
1
𝑟=
𝑛
differentiating the function:
1
𝑟 + ∆𝑟 =
𝑛 + ∆𝑛
1 1 𝑛 − 𝑛 + ∆𝑛 −∆𝑛
∆𝑟 = − = =
𝑛 + ∆𝑛 𝑛 𝑛 + ∆𝑛 𝑛 (𝑛 + ∆𝑛)(𝑛)
∆𝑟 −1
=
∆𝑛 𝑛2 + 𝑛∆𝑛
𝑑𝑟 ∆𝑟 −1 𝟏
= lim = lim =−
𝑑𝑛 ∆𝑛→0 ∆𝑛 ∆𝑛→0 𝑛2 +𝑛∆𝑛 𝒏𝟐
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 2:
Find the rate of change of the circumference of a circle increases
as the radius increases.
Solution:
The circumference of a circle is defined by the formula,
𝐶 = 2𝜋𝑟
Differentiating 𝐶 with respect to 𝑟,
𝐶 + ∆𝐶 = 2𝜋(𝑟 + ∆𝑟)
∆𝐶 = 2𝜋𝑟 + 2𝜋∆𝑟 − 2𝜋𝑟
∆𝐶 = 2𝜋∆𝑟
∆𝐶
= 2𝜋
∆𝑟
𝑑𝐶 ∆𝐶
= lim = 𝑙𝑖𝑚 2𝜋 = 𝟐𝝅
𝑑𝑟 ∆𝑟→0 ∆𝑟 ∆𝑟→0
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 3:
The surface area of a sphere, initially zero, increases uniformly at
the rate of 4 sq. in. per sec. Find the rate at which the radius is
increasing at the end of 2 seconds.
Solution: differentiating the function:
𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡
Let: 𝑡 = time (s) + −
𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋
𝑟 = radius of sphere (in) 𝑟 + ∆𝑟 = → ∆𝑟 = − ∙ =
𝑆 = surface area (sq. in.) 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 𝑡
+ +
𝜋 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋
Since 𝑆 is increasing at 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 − 𝑡 1
a constant rate, 𝑆 is 𝜋 ∆𝑟 𝜋
proportional to the elapsed ∆𝑟 = =
𝑡 + ∆𝑡 + 𝑡 ∆𝑡 𝑡 + ∆𝑡 + 𝑡
time.
𝑆 = 4𝑡 𝜋 𝜋
Also the surface area of 1
𝑑𝑟 ∆𝑟 𝜋 1 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋 𝜋 𝟏
a sphere, 𝑆 = 4𝜋𝑟 2 = lim = lim = = ∙ = =
2 𝑑𝑡 ∆𝑡→0 ∆𝑡 ∆𝑡→0 2 𝑡 𝜋 2 𝑡 2𝜋 𝑡 𝜋 2𝜋 𝜋𝑡 𝟐 𝝅𝒕
4𝑡 = 4𝜋𝑟
𝜋
𝑡 = 𝜋𝑟 2 When 𝑡 = 2:
𝑡 𝑡 𝑑𝑟 1 1 𝒊𝒏
𝑟= = = = = 0.199 ≈ 𝟎. 𝟐𝟎
𝜋 𝜋 𝑑𝑡 2 𝜋𝑡 2 2𝜋 𝒔𝒆𝒄
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 4:
Find how fast the volume of a right circular cylinder increases as
the radius increases.
Solution:
The volume of a right circular cylinder is,
𝑉 = 𝜋𝑟 2 ℎ
Differentiating 𝑉 with respect to 𝑟 ,
𝑉 + ∆𝑉 = 𝜋(𝑟 + ∆𝑟)2 ℎ
𝑉 + ∆𝑉 = 𝜋(𝑟 2 +2𝑟∆𝑟 + ∆𝑟 2 )ℎ
∆𝑉 = 𝜋𝑟 2 ℎ + 2𝜋𝑟∆𝑟ℎ + 𝜋∆𝑟 2 ℎ − 𝜋𝑟 2 ℎ
∆𝑉 = 2𝜋𝑟∆𝑟ℎ + 𝜋∆𝑟 2 ℎ
∆𝑉
= 2𝜋𝑟ℎ + 𝜋∆𝑟ℎ
∆𝑟
𝑑𝑉 ∆𝑉
= lim = lim 2𝜋𝑟ℎ + 𝜋∆𝑟ℎ
𝑑𝑟 ∆𝑟→0 ∆𝑟 ∆𝑟→0
𝑑𝑉
= 𝟐𝝅𝒓𝒉
𝑑𝑟
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 6:
A circle has a radius if 5 cm. Find the rate of change of its area
with respect to its radius.
Solution:
The area of a circle is,
𝐴 = 𝜋𝑟 2
Differentiating 𝐴 with respect to 𝑟 ,
𝐴 + ∆𝐴 = 𝜋(𝑟 + ∆𝑟)2 = 𝜋 𝑟 2 + 2𝑟∆𝑟 + ∆𝑟 2 = 𝜋𝑟 2 + 2𝜋𝑟∆𝑟 + 𝜋∆𝑟 2
∆𝐴 = 𝜋𝑟 2 + 2𝜋𝑟∆𝑟 + 𝜋∆𝑟 2 − 𝜋𝑟 2
∆𝐴 = 2𝜋𝑟∆𝑟 + 𝜋∆𝑟 2
∆𝐴
= 2𝜋𝑟 + 𝜋∆𝑟
∆𝑟
𝑑𝐴 ∆𝐴
= lim = lim 2𝜋𝑟 + 𝜋∆𝑟 = 2𝜋𝑟
𝑑𝑟 ∆𝑟→0 ∆𝑟 ∆𝑟→0
For 𝑟 = 5 𝑐𝑚. :
𝑑𝐴
= 2𝜋𝑟 = 2𝜋 5 = 𝟏𝟎𝝅 𝒄𝒎. = 𝟑𝟏. 𝟒𝟐 𝒄𝒎
𝑑𝑟
 THE DERIVATIVE
Example 7:
Find the rate of change of the ordinate of a curve 𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 3
with respect to its abscissa at point (-2,-3).
Solution:
Differentiating the function,
𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 − 3
𝑦 + ∆𝑦 = (𝑥 + ∆𝑥)2 +2 𝑥 + ∆𝑥 − 3 = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥∆𝑥 + ∆𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 2∆𝑥 − 3
∆𝑦 = 𝑥 2 + 2𝑥∆𝑥 + ∆𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 2∆𝑥 − 3 − 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 + 3
∆𝑦 = 2𝑥∆𝑥 + ∆𝑥 2 + 2∆𝑥
∆𝑦
= 2𝑥 + ∆𝑥 + 2
∆𝑥
𝑑𝑦 ∆𝑦
= lim = lim 2𝑥 + ∆𝑥 + 2 = 2𝑥 + 2
𝑑𝑥 ∆𝑥→0 ∆𝑥 ∆𝑥→0
At point (-2,-3):
𝑑𝑦
= 2𝑥 + 2 = 2 −2 + 2 = −𝟐 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬
𝑑𝑥