NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE

Department of Mathematics
MA 1505 Mathematics I
Tutorial 1
1. Let f (x) = x6 and g(x) =

Ans. |3 x6 | 6 .

|3 x|. Find an expression for (g f )(x) (f g)(x).

|3x|

2. Find the rst derivatives of the following functions.

ax + b
(a) y =
(b) y = sinn x cos(mx)
cx2 + 3d
(c) y = ex +x
(d) y = x3 4(x2 + e2 + ln 2)
(
)2

sin
(e) y =
(f) y = t tan(2 t) + 7
cos 1

4
1
(g) r = sin( + + 1)
(h) s =
+
cos x tan x
ad bc
Ans. (a) y =
(b) y = n sinn1 x cos x cos mx m sinn x sin mx
(cx + d)2
(d) y = 3x2 8x

(e) y = 2 sin (cos 1)2

(f) y = t sec2 (2 t) + tan(2 t)

(g) r = 2 2+1+1
cos( + + 1) (h) s = 4 tan x sec x csc2 x
+1
(c) y = ex

2 +x3

(2x + 3x2 )

3. Coee is drained from a conical lter into a cylindrical coeepot at the rate of 10 in3 /min.
(a) How fast is the level in the pot rising when the coee in the cone is 5 in. deep?
(b) How fast is the level in the cone falling then?
(Volume of cone:

Ans. (a)

10
9

1
3

base area height)

in/min; (b)

8
5

in/min.

MA1505 Tutorial 1

4. For the following functions, nd y and y .

(a) x2/3 + y 2/3 = a2/3 , 0 < x < a, 0 < y
(b) y = (sin x)sin x , 0 < x <

(c) x = a cos t, y = a sin t

Ans.

a 2/3
a2/3

(a) y = ( ) 1, y =
.
x
3x4/3 a2/3 x2/3

(b) y = (sin x)sin x (1 + ln sin x) cos x,

y = (sin x)sin x [(1 + ln sin x)2 cos2 x +
(c) y = cot t , y =

cos2 x
(1 + ln sin x) sin x] .
sin x

1
.
a sin3 t

5. For each of the following functions:

x+1
(a) y = 2
, x [3, 3]
(b)
x +1
determine

3
y = (x 1) x2 , x (, )

(i) the critical points;

(ii) the intervals where it is increasing and decreasing;
(iii) the local and absolute extreme values.

Ans. (a) local min. 2(12+1) at x = 1 2 and 52 at x = 3;

local max. 2(121) at x = 1 + 2 and 15 at x = 3.

( )2/3
at x = 25 ; local max. 0 at x = 0.
(b) local min. 35 25
6. Ornithologists have determined that some species of birds tend to avoid ights over large
bodies of water during daylight hours. It is believed that more energy is required to y over
water than land because air generally rises over land and falls over water during the day. A
bird with these tendencies is released from an island that is 5 km from the nearest point B
on a straight shoreline, ies to a point C on the shoreline, and then ies along the shoreline
to its nesting area D. Assume that the bird instinctively chooses a path that will minimize
its energy expenditure. Points B and D are 13 km apart. If it takes 1.4 times as much energy
to y over water as land, nd the distance between B and C.
Ans. 5.103 km.

MA1505 Tutorial 1

7. (A simple engineering application)

In the electric circuit shown below, the voltage E (in Volts) and resistance r (in Ohms) are
constant. R is the resistance of a load. By Ohms Law (discovered by Georg Simon Ohm and
published in his 1827 paper: The Galvanic Circuit Investigated Mathematically) we know
that the electric current i is given by
i=

E
.
r+R

From the theory of electric circuits, we know that the power P delivered to the load R is
given by
P = i2 R.
Determine R so that the power P delivered to the load R is maximum.