UECM1023 Calculus I

Session 201505
Assignment
Instructions:
1.

This assignment is to be done in a group of 6 or less members.

2.

The assignment is to be submitted in a handwritten or printed report. All graphs must be

generated by a computer graphing system. The front cover of the report must include
the names and index numbers of all members in your group.

3.

The last day to submit your report is on Week 13s Friday, before 5 pm. Late
submissions will not be accepted, and you will be awarded 0 marks.

4.

This assignment contributes 10% of your total marks.

Question 1
(a)

On January 1, 2000, Taman Negara estimated that they had 500 deer on their land. Two
years later, they estimated that there were 550 deer on the land. Assume that the number
P (t ) ae bt ,
of deer was changing exponentially, i.e.
where P is the number of deer at
year t, and a and b are parameters.
i.

Find the values of a and b.

ii. Fill in the chart below for the period 20002005 to the nearest deer.
(b)

On January 1, 2005, the park management determined that the deer population is
growing too quickly. So they decided to cull 20 deer from the herd every year thereafter
(starting from January 1, 2006). Assume that the growth rate of the deer population is
the same as in (a).
i. Determine the differential equation that governs this situation, and solve it.
t0
Assume
for the year 2005.
ii. Fill in the chart below for the period 20062010 to the nearest deer.

(c)

On January 1, 2010, the park management felt that the deer population is still rampant.
They decided to remove deer so that the instantaneous rate of decrease is 10% of the
deer population.
i. Determine the differential equation that governs this situation, and solve it.
t 0
Assume
for the year 2010.
ii. Fill in the chart below for the period 20102015 to the nearest deer.
2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015
(Total marks: 5)

Question 2
You are asked to design the first ascent and drop for a new roller coaster. You decide to make
1. 6.
the track parabolic, the slope of the ascent 0.8, and the slope of the drop
You decide to
y L1 ( x)
y L2 ( x)
connect the straight stretch
before the ascent and the straight stretch
f (x )
y f ( x) ax 2 bx c,
after the drop with the parabola
where x and
are measured in
feet. For the track to be smooth, there cannot be abrupt changes in direction, so you want the
L1
L2
line segments
and
to be tangent to the parabola at the transition points P and Q. To
simplify equations, you decide to place the origin at P. The following figure illustrates the
system.

(a)

(b)
(c)

Suppose that the horizontal distance between P and Q is 100 feet. Find formulas for
f (x ), L1 ( x),
L2 ( x )
and
that will ensure that the track is smooth at the transition points.
For the track to be smooth, the functions and their first derivatives must agree at the
transition points.

f , L1 ,
L2
Plot
and
to verify graphically that the transitions are smooth. Use different
colors for each graph. Mark the transition points as well.
The solution in Problem 1 might look smooth, but it might not feel smooth because the
x 0, f (x)
0 x 100,
L1 ( x)
piecewise defined function consisting of
for
for
and
L2 ( x )
x 100
for
does not have a continuous second derivative. So you decide to
q( x) ax 2 bx c
improve the design by using a quadratic function
only on the
10 x 90,
interval
and connecting it to the linear functions by means of two cubic
functions:

g ( x) kx3 lx 2 mx n,

0 x 10,

h( x) px qx rx s,

90 x 100.

i.

ii.

q (x ), g (x),
h(x)
Find formulas for
and
that will ensure that the functions and
their first two derivatives agree at the transition points.

q, g , h, L1 ,
L2
Plot
and
to verify graphically that the transitions are smooth.
Use different colors for each graph. Mark the transition points as well.
(Total marks: 5)