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Ch. 4 - Applications of the Derivative
Briggs - Calculus: Early Transcendentals 3rd Edition
Briggs3rd EditionCalculus: Early TranscendentalsISBN: 9780136847243Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 4, Problem 54a

Growth rate of bamboo Bamboo belongs to the grass family and is one of the fastest growing plants in the world.


a. A bamboo shoot was 500 cm tall at 10:00 A.M. and 515 cm tall at 3:00 P.M. Compute the average growth rate of the bamboo shoot in cm/hr over the period of time from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

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Identify the initial and final heights of the bamboo shoot. The initial height at 10:00 A.M. is 500 cm, and the final height at 3:00 P.M. is 515 cm.
Determine the time interval over which the growth occurred. From 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. is a period of 5 hours.
Calculate the change in height of the bamboo shoot by subtracting the initial height from the final height: 515 cm - 500 cm.
Compute the average growth rate by dividing the change in height by the time interval. Use the formula: \( \text{Average Growth Rate} = \frac{\text{Change in Height}}{\text{Time Interval}} \).
Substitute the values into the formula: \( \frac{15 \text{ cm}}{5 \text{ hours}} \) to find the average growth rate in cm/hr.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Average Rate of Change

The average rate of change measures how much a quantity changes over a specific interval. In calculus, it is calculated as the difference in the function's values at two points divided by the difference in the input values. For the bamboo shoot, this involves finding the change in height over the time interval from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.
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Units of Measurement

Understanding units of measurement is crucial in calculating rates. In this context, the height of the bamboo is measured in centimeters, and time is measured in hours. When calculating the average growth rate, it is important to express the result in cm/hr to maintain consistency and clarity in the interpretation of the growth rate.
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Time Interval

The time interval is the duration over which the growth is measured. In this problem, the interval is from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., which spans 5 hours. Recognizing the length of the time interval is essential for accurately calculating the average growth rate, as it directly influences the final result.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Mean Value Theorem The population of a culture of cells grows according to the function P(t) = 100t / t+1, where t ≥ 0 is measured in weeks.


b. At what point of the interval [0, 8] is the instantaneous rate of change equal to the average rate of change?

Textbook Question

Growth rate of bamboo Bamboo belongs to the grass family and is one of the fastest growing plants in the world.


b. Based on the Mean Value Theorem, what can you conclude about the instantaneous growth rate of bamboo measured in millimeters per second between 10:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M.?

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Textbook Question

{Use of Tech} Approximating reciprocals To approximate the reciprocal of a number a without using division, we can apply Newton’s method to the function f(x) = 1/x - a. 

b. Apply Newton’s method with a = 7 using a starting value of your choice. Compute an approximation with eight digits of accuracy. What number does Newton’s method approximate in this case?  

Textbook Question

First Derivative Test


a. Locate the critical points of f.

b. Use the First Derivative Test to locate the local maximum and minimum values.

c. Identify the absolute maximum and minimum values of the function on the given interval (when they exist).


f(x) = x - 2 tan⁻¹ x on [-√3,√3)

Textbook Question

Verify that the following functions satisfy the conditions of Theorem 4.9 on their domains. Then find the location and value of the absolute extrema guaranteed by the theorem.


f(x) = 4x + 1/√x

Textbook Question

Mean Value Theorem The population of a culture of cells grows according to the function P(t) = 100t / t+1, where t ≥ 0 is measured in weeks.




a. What is the average rate of change in the population over the interval [0, 8]?