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Worked solution

Connect a spherical balloon’s volume and radius rates

Air is pumped into a spherical balloon at 10 cm3/s10\text{ cm}^3/\text{s}. Find the exact rate of change of its radius when the radius is 5 cm5\text{ cm}. Given V=43πr3V=\dfrac43\pi r^3.

CJC · Lecture · Example 12

Method 1: use the chain rule

The Student leaves this method blank; the Teacher supplies dV/dr=4πr2dV/dr=4\pi r^2 and dV/dt=(dV/dr)(dr/dt)dV/dt=(dV/dr)(dr/dt). Thus dr/dt=dV/dtdV/dr=104πr2=52πr2dr/dt=\dfrac{dV/dt}{dV/dr}=\dfrac{10}{4\pi r^2}=\dfrac{5}{2\pi r^2}. At r=5r=5, this is 110π cm/s\dfrac{1}{10\pi}\text{ cm/s}.

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Method 2: differentiate with respect to time

Both copies print this method: differentiating V=43πr3V=\frac43\pi r^3 with respect to time gives dV/dt=4πr2 dr/dtdV/dt=4\pi r^2\,dr/dt. Substitute dV/dt=10dV/dt=10 and r=5r=5 to obtain 10=4π(5)2 dr/dt10=4\pi(5)^2\,dr/dt, hence dr/dt=1/(10π) cm/sdr/dt=1/(10\pi)\text{ cm/s}. The positive sign means the radius is increasing.

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Common mistakes

The supplied 10 cm³/s is a volume rate, not a radius rate. Differentiate before substituting r=5.

Solution notes

Both source copies visually compared; printed asks and answers retained. Independent explanations are distinguished from source working.

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