Chapter 3: Applications

of Differentiation
Lecture 2
By
Assoc.Prof. Mai Duc Thanh
 Outline
1. Optimization Problems
2. Applications to Economics
3. Newton’s Method
4. Antiderivatives

Calculus1
 Optimization Problem
• Methods for finding extreme values have practical
applications in many areas:
❖A businessperson wants to minimize costs and
maximize profits
❖ A traveler wants to minimize transportation
time,…
• Challenge: to convert the word problem into a
mathematical optimization problem by setting up
the function to be maximized or minimized

Calculus1
 Steps in Solving Optimization Problems
1. Understand Problem: What is the unknown? What are
the given quantities and conditions?

2. Draw a Diagram: draw a diagram and identify the given

and required quantities on the diagram.

3. Introduce Notation: Symbol (Q for example) for the

quantity to be optimized, and for other quantities

4. Express Q in terms of some of the other symbols from

Step 3.

5. Eliminate all but one of variables in Q so that Q=f(x).

Write the domain of this function.
6. Find the absolute maximum (minimum) of the objective
function.
Calculus1
 Optimization
Ex. An open box is formed by cutting identical
squares from each corner of a 4 in. by 4 in. sheet of
paper. Find the dimensions of the box that will
yield the maximum volume.
x

4 – 2x
x
x 4 – 2x x

V = lwh = (4 − 2 x)(4 − 2 x) x ; x in 0, 2

Calculus1
 V ( x ) = 16 x − 16 x 2 + 4 x3
V ( x) = 16 − 32 x + 12 x 2 = 4(2 − 3x)(2 − x)
Critical points: x = 2,
2
3
V (2) = 0
V (0) = 0 The dimensions are 8/3 in. by 8/3
in. by 2/3 in. giving a maximum
2
V    4.74 in 3 box volume of 4.74 in3.
3

Calculus1
 Example
A metal can with volume 60 in3 is to be constructed
in the shape of a right circular cylinder. If the cost of
the material for the side is $0.05/in.2 and the cost of
the material for the top and bottom is $0.03/in.2 Find
the dimensions of the can that will minimize the cost.

V =  r h = 60
2

C = (0.03)(2) r 2 + (0.05)2 rh
top and
cost side
bottom

Calculus1
 60
V =  r h = 60
2
So h = 2
r
C = (0.03)(2) r 2 + (0.05)2 rh
60
= (0.03)(2) r + (0.05)2 r 2 Sub. in for h
2

r
6
= 0.06 r +
2

r
6 6
C  = 0.12 r − 2 C  = 0 gives 0.12 r = 2
r r
6
r = r* = 3  2.52 in. which yields h  3.02 in.
0.12
′
𝐶 𝑟 < 0 if 𝑟 < 𝑟∗ 𝐶 ′ 𝑟 > 0 if 𝑟 > 𝑟∗
𝐶 𝑟∗ is absolute minimum
Calculus1
Graph of cost function to verify absolute
minimum:

2.5

So with a radius ≈ 2.52 in. and height ≈ 3.02 in.

the cost is minimized at ≈ $3.58.

Calculus1
 2. Applications to Business and Economics

C(x): the cost function, is the cost of producing x units of

a certain product

Marginal cost C’(x) is the rate of change of C(x) with

respect to x.

Given a cost function C, the average cost

function is given by:

C ( x)
C ( x) =
x

Calculus1
Applications to Business and Economics

• Let p(x) be the price per unit that the company can
charge if it sells x units
• Then, p is called the demand function (or price
function), which is expected to be decreasing w.r.t. x
• Total Revenue is R(x)=xp(x), called revenue
function
• R’(x): marginal revenue function
• P(x)=R(x)-C(x), called profit function
• P’(x): marginal profit function

Calculus1
 3. Newton’s Method
• How to solve the equation f ( x) = 0?
Example: f ( x) = x 3 − 6 x + sin(2 x) − 5

Calculus1
 Newton’s Method
Problem: Find approximations of r satisfying f (r ) = 0

The x-intercept of the tangent line approximates the root:

f ( xn )
y = f ( xn ) + f '( xn )( x − xn ) = 0  x = xn −
f '( xn )
Set an iterative formula, called Newton’s method:

f ( xn )
xn +1 = xn − , n = 0,1, 2,...
f '( xn )

r
x3 x2 x1 x0
Calculus1
13
 Stopping criterion
• We want to achieve a given accuracy, say to
eight decimal places. How do we know when
to stop?
• Rule: We stop when successive
approximations xn and xn+1 agree to the given
precision

Calculus1
14
 Example

Given the equation

f ( x) = cos x − x = 0
a) Show that the above equation admits a root in
the interval (0, 1)
b) Use Newton’s method to find the root in the
part a) with starting point x0 =1, correct to
three decimal places

Calculus1
 Solution
a) The function f(x) = cos(x) – x is continuous.
We have
f (0) = cos 0 − 0 = 1  0
f (1) = cos1 − 1  0
By Intermediate Value Theorem, there is a value
r in (0, 1) such that f(r)=0. So, the equation
f(x)=0 has a root in the interval (0, 1)

Calculus1
 Solution (continued)
b) Find the approximate root:
f ( x) = cos x − x, f '( x) = − sin x − 1
f ( xn ) cos xn − xn
xn +1 = xn − = xn −
f '( xn ) − sin xn − 1
cos xn − xn
 xn +1 = xn + , n = 0,1, 2,...
sin xn + 1
x0 = 1, x1 =0.7504
x2 =0.7391, x3 =0.739085
 r  0.739085
Calculus1
 Exercise
f ( xn )
xn +1 = xn − , n = 0,1, 2,...
f '( xn )
Given the equation

f ( x) = e + x − 2 + sin x = 0
x

a) Show that the above equation admits a root in

the interval (0, 1)
b) Use Newton’s method to find the root in the
part a) with starting point x0 =1, correct to
three decimal places

Calculus1
 4. Antiderivatives
An antiderivative of a function f is a
function F such that
F = f

Ex. An antiderivative of f ( x) = 6 x
is F ( x) = 3x 2 + 2
since F ( x) = f ( x).

Calculus1
 Constant of Integration
Every antiderivative F of f must be of
the form F(x) = G(x) + C, where C is a
constant.

 6 xdx = 3x +C
2
Notice

Represents every possible

antiderivative of 6x.
Calculus1
 Exercise

1. Given the equation f ( x) = cos( x − 1) − 2 x = 0

a) Show that the above equation admits a unique root in the
interval (0, 1)
b) Use Newton’s method to find the root in the part a) with
starting point x0 =1, correct to three decimal places

Calculus1
 Exercise
1. The top and bottom margins of a poster are each 6 cm and the
side margins are each 4 cm. If the area of printed material on
the poster is fixed at 384 cm2 , find the dimensions of the
poster with the smallest area
2. Use Newton’s method to find a root of the equation correct to
three decimal places by taking x0=0 and x0=1

− x2
4e sin x = 2 x − x + 1
3

3. Find f, if

f ''( x) = 2 + cos x, f (0) = −1, f ( / 2) = 0

Calculus1