Chapter 3: Problem 389
The question concern the water level in Ocean City, New Jersey, in January, which can be approximated by \(w(t)=1.9+2.9 \cos \left(\frac{\pi}{6} t\right), \quad\) where \(t\) is measured in hours after midnight, and the height is measured in feet. Find \(w^{\prime}(3)\). What is the physical meaning of this value?
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Understand the Function
Find the Derivative
Evaluate the Derivative at t = 3
Simplify the Expression
Interpret the Physical Meaning
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Trigonometric Functions
Understanding the nature of trigonometric functions:
- The amplitude, which in this context is 2.9, defines the height of the wave from its mean position.
- The phase shift and frequency factor, like \(\frac{\pi}{6}\), alters how quickly the cycles repeat.
- Cosine and sine are fundamentally similar, shifted by a phase difference, where cosine starts at a maximum value.
Chain Rule
Here's a breakdown of how the chain rule works:
- First, identify the outer and inner functions. Here, \( \cos(x) \) is the outer function, and \( \frac{\pi}{6}t \) is the inner function.
- The derivative of the cosine function is \(-\sin(x)\).
- By the chain rule, the derivative of a composite function \( \cos(u) \) with respect to \( t \) is \(-u' \sin(u)\).
Rate of Change
Important aspects of rate of change:
- A positive value implies an increasing quantity, whereas a negative value indicates a decrease.
- The magnitude shows how rapidly the change occurs at that specific instant.
- In the context of this problem, a negative derivative denotes that the water level is dropping at a rate of about 1.52 feet per hour.
Differentiation
Key points about differentiation:
- It is derived from the limits and measures how a function changes as its variable changes.
- Calculating derivatives such as \( w'(t) \) helps predict the behavior of a function at any given point.
- The process involves applying rules such as the chain rule to find the derivative of composite functions.