Brittany Harnicher

Math 1210
Pipeline Project
Dear CEO,
Our development department has been researching on the cost related to the
pipeline construction project as requested. We have determined that the lowest cost
can be achieved by running the pipeline southeast, through private land,
intersecting BLM ground 20.859 miles west of the refinery. Included is a depiction of
the most optimal route. The following is a list of our options and the costs
associated with them, along with a diagram of each scenario.
Scenario A:(i) If we run the pipeline strictly through BLM ground, that is, 8 miles due
west of the well, then 16 miles due south, then 40 miles due east, our pipeline will
be 64 miles in length, and we would incur a cost of $480,000 per mile, totaling
$30,720,000.
(ii) If we run the pipeline east through the mountain, then south to the refinery,
there will be a one-time cost of $4,500,000, plus a $600,000 cost for an
environmental impact study, plus the project will be delayed by 8 months, which will
cost us $100,000 a month, increasing our total cost by $800,000. We would also
incur a cost of $480,000 per mile, with our pipeline being 48 miles in length. The
net cost comes out to $28,940,000.
Scenario B:(i) If we run the pipeline through private property to the refinery, the
shortest distance we could achieve it in would be 35.77 miles, which is significantly
shorter than any other pipeline we can build. However, it becomes quite expensive
with having to incur an extra $360,000 per mile for right-of-way fees. In fact, we
incur $840,000 per mile in costs, a grand total of $30,046,800.
(ii) If the pipeline is built straight south from the well through 16 miles of private
property, and then 32 miles due east to the refinery, we incur $13,440,000 in costs
through the private property, and $15,360,000 through BLM ground. This nets to
$28,800,000.
Scenario C: Finally, our team has determined that the most optimal way to build our
pipeline is somewhere in between Scenario B, part (ii) and Scenario B, part (i). In
fact, we can tell you precisely where it should be built to minimize cost. We use our
knowledge of calculus to come to this conclusion, and this is how:
A, part (i)

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

(64 mi)( $ 480,000 p/ m)=$ 30,720,000

A, part (ii)

(48 mi)($ 480,000 p/m)+( $ 5,900,000)=$ 28,940,000

B, part (i)

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

To find the length of the pipeline labelled z, we must use the Pythagorean Theorem:

x 2+ y 2 =z2
In order to find z, we must solve this equation for z.

x2 + y 2

= z

Let x = 16 miles, let y = 32 miles.

And therefore, the cost becomes:

B, part (ii)

32
16 2 + = z , therefore,

z=35.77 mi

(35.77 mi)($ 840, 000 p /m)=$ 30,046,800

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

(16 mi)( $ 840,000 p / m)+(32 mi)($ 480,000 p/m)=$ 28,800,000

Scenario C:

Once again, we must use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the length of the
pipeline labelled z.

x 2+ y 2 =z2

Solving this equation for z, we get

16mi.
2

16
2
x + =
z=

x2 +256

z= x 2+ y 2 And we let y =

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project
We know that the section of the pipeline running through private ground will cost
$840,000p/m, and the section of the pipeline running through BLM ground will cost
$480,000p/m. Therefore, we can make a function for the cost of our pipeline. We will
call it C(x).

C( x )=840000 x 2+256 +480000(32x) And our goal is to minimize this cost

function. We will be using the derivative to achieve this. We will call this derivative
C(x).

1
( )
2
C '( x)=480000(1)+840000
2

1/ 2

x +256
480000
Then we set this equation equal to zero in order to find
C ' ( x)=840000 x
where x is the lowest.

x 2+256 1/ 2480000
0=840000 x
x 2 +256 1 /2
480000=840000 x
2

1/ 2

x + 256
480000
x=
840000
x 2+256 1/ 2
4
x=
7
x 2+256 1/ 2
7
Then we square both sides.
x=
4
49 2 2
x =x +256 Subtract
16

49 2
x from both sides.
16

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

0=

33 2
x +256
16

33 2
x =256
16
2

x=

4096
33 Then we take the square root of both sides.

x=
x=

4096
33 , however the negative is not in our domain. So were left with

4096
11.140969 mi
33

We can then use this x value to solve for our length of pipeline, z, and using our
equation from above:

11.140969 2 +256

2
z= x +256=
And we can find the length for the remainder of our pipeline, which was
We will call this

32x .

j .

j=3211.140969=20.859031mi
And now we have our cost, using the above variables.

(19.496696 mi)($ 840,000 p /m)+(20.859031 mi)( $ 480,000 p/m)=$ 26,389,559.52

We can also determine the angle, , using trigonometric ratios:

sin =

opposite
x
=
h ypotenuse z

sin =

11.140969 mi
=0.5714285641013226
19.496696 mi

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

=si n1 (0.5714285641013226 )=34.849904067477 degrees

Our result for optimizing C(x) is confirmed when we graph our cost function: (note:
graph scaled down 1000:1)

In conclusion, our pipeline should be run 19.497 miles southeast from the well
through private property, costing $16,377,480. It would intersect BLM ground at
19.141 miles from the west, running along BLM ground due east, reaching our
refinery after 20.859 miles. Running our pipeline through BLM ground will cost us
$10,012,320. The net cost comes out to $26,389,560. You can see that this saves us
$2,410,440 over our previously lowest cost, Scenario B (ii). Please consider giving
us a raise.

Brittany Harnicher
Math 1210
Pipeline Project

Reflection:
Looking back on this course, I have learned that calculus is likely to be the type of
math that can be used in the real world in comparison with the different types of
mathematics. There are things that I have learned in statistics and trigonometry
that can apply to a career, however calculus provides you with many tools that
someone can use to help them determine many different things. Graphing, for
example, can easily be done with the use of taking derivatives and predicting what
the function will look like at certain points. We have learned about how to determine
whether the function is concave up or down, how to find the inflection points, or
where the graph changes the direction of concavity.
Calculus can also be used to determine the change in rates, which can be applied to
my education and career. I will be obtaining a degree in chemistry which requires
that I know how the rates of reactions change as well as being able to determine
the radioactive decay. One of the most important concepts that I have learned in
this class is optimization. Its important for businesses to be able to calculate the
most effective way to save money while being able to bring in a large revenue,
because as we all know, it takes money to make money.
Contractors can also benefit from knowing calculus because there might be a time
when they have a limited amount of supplies, such as for building a room, and they
need to maximize the size of the room while also making sure there are enough
supplies left over for other parts of the house or office. This can also be applied to
someone putting up a fence. We had practiced several problems to maximize the
area of a farm while a specific amount of fencing was needed. The area could be
enclosed with one side being a building while three sides are fencing. There are also
instances where the farmer has a certain amount of fencing and has to have an
area fenced off and then the enclosed area to be split into four separate areas and
we had to determine what size of each section needed to be.