#$&* course Phy 121 9/3/12 8:40 am
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Given Solution: The rate at which you are earning money is the number of dollars per hour you are earning. You are earning money at the rate of 50 dollars / (5 hours) = 10 dollars / hour. It is very likely that you immediately came up with the $10 / hour because almosteveryone is familiar with the concept of the pay rate, the number of dollars per hour. Note carefully that the pay rate is found by dividing the quantity earned by the time required to earn it. Time rates in general are found by dividing an accumulated quantity by the time required to accumulate it. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q003.If you make $60,000 per year then how much do you make per month? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: Divide the total dollar amount for the year by 12 (12 months in one year) to determine monthly rate, $60,000/12 months = $5000/month confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: Most people will very quickly see that we need to divide $60,000 by 12 months, giving us 60,000 dollars / (12 months) = 5000 dollars / month. Note that again we have found a time rate, dividing the accumulated quantity by the time required to accumulate it. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q004. Suppose that the $60,000 is made in a year by a small business. Would be more appropriate to say that the business makes $5000 per month, or that the business makes an average of $5000 per month? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: It is more appropriate to say that the business makes an average of $5000 per month. We don't know from the data given exactly how much the business makes each month. The business could make more than $5000 in some months, less than $5000 in others. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: Small businesses do not usually make the same amount of money every month. The amount made depends on the demand for the services or commodities provided by the business, and there are often seasonal fluctuations in addition to other market fluctuations. It is almost certain that a small business making $60,000 per year will make more than $5000 in some months and less than $5000 in others. Therefore it is much more appropriate to say that the business makes and average of $5000 per month. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q005. If you travel 300 miles in 6 hours, at what average rate are you covering distance, and why do we say average rate instead of just plain rate? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: The average rate is the total distance/total time. In this case 300 miles/6 hours = 50mph. We say average rate instead of rate because we are looking at the entire trip. Along the way you may travel well over 50 mph at some times and well under at other times. Consider that when you are stopped at a light, you are travelling 0 mph. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The average rate is 50 miles per hour, or 50 miles / hour. This is obtained by dividing the accumulated quantity, the 300 miles, by the time required to accumulate it, obtaining ave rate = 300 miles / ( 6 hours) = 50 miles / hour. Note that the rate at which distance is covered is called speed. The car has an average speed of 50 miles/hour. We say 'average rate' in this case because it is almost certain that slight changes in pressure on the accelerator, traffic conditions and other factors ensure that the speed will sometimes be greater than 50 miles/hour and sometimes less than 50 miles/hour; the 50 miles/hour we obtain from the given information is clearly and overall average of the velocities. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q006. If you use 60 gallons of gasoline on a 1200 mile trip, then at what average rate are you using gasoline, with respect to miles traveled? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: The most common way to determine the relationship between gallons and miles travelled is to determine Miles Per Gallon or MPG. Here we divide 1200 miles/60 gallons to 20 miles per gallon. Another way to look at the relationship - and what is specifically asked for here - is to calculate how many gallons it take to go a mile - gallons per mile or GPM. Here we divide 60 gallons/1200 miles to get .05 gallons per mile. This is a lesser used rate, but I find it very handy to use along with the price of gas to estimate how much a specific trip will cost me. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The rate of change of one quantity with respect to another is the change in the first quantity, divided by the change in the second. As in previous examples, we found the rate at which money was made with respect to time by dividing the amount of money made by the time required to make it. By analogy, the rate at which we use fuel with respect to miles traveled is the change in the amount of fuel divided by the number of miles traveled. In this case we use 60 gallons of fuel in 1200 miles, so the average rate it 60 gal / (1200 miles) = .05 gallons / mile. Note that this question didn't ask for miles per gallon. Miles per gallon is an appropriate and common calculation, but it measures the rate at which miles are covered with respect to the amount of fuel used. Be sure you see the difference. Note that in this problem we again have here an example of a rate, but unlike previous instances this rate is not calculated with respect to time. This rate is calculated with respect to the amount of fuel used. We divide the accumulated quantity, in this case miles, by the amount of fuel required to cover t miles. Note that again we call the result of this problem an average rate because there are always at least subtle differences in driving conditions that result in more or fewer miles covered with a certain amount of fuel. It's very important to understand the phrase 'with respect to'. Whether the calculation makes sense or not, it is defined by the order of the terms. In this case gallons / mile tells you how many gallons you are burning, on the average, per mile. This concept is not as familiar as miles / gallon, but except for familiarity it's technically no more difficult. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. STUDENT COMMENT Very Tricky! I thought I had a rhythm going. I understand where I messed up. I am comfortable with the calculations. INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE There's nothing wrong with your rhythm. As I'm sure you understand, there is no intent here to trick, though I know most people will (and do) tend to give the answer you did. My intent is to make clear the important point that the definition of the terms is unambiguous and must be read carefully, in the right order. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q007. The word 'average' generally connotes something like adding two quantities and dividing by 2, or adding several quantities and dividing by the number of quantities we added. Why is it that we are calculating average rates but we aren't adding anything? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: The adding has been done for us already. In the problems we've been working, we are dealing with the total miles, total pay, total gallons, etc. The small business's profits are a perfect example. They made $60,000 that given year. That figure was determined by adding up all the monthly (or weekly) profit figures to get the total. The average comes in when we figure out how much they made on average per month. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The word 'average' in the context of the dollars / month, miles / gallon types of questions we have been answering was used because we expect that in different months different amounts were earned, or that over different parts of the trip the gas mileage might have varied, but that if we knew all the individual quantities (e.g., the dollars earned each month, the number of gallons used with each mile) and averaged them in the usual manner, we would get the .05 gallons / mile, or the $5000 / month. In a sense we have already added up all the dollars earned in each month, or the miles traveled on each gallon, and we have obtained the total $60,000 or 1200 miles. Thus when we divide by the number of months or the number of gallons, we are in fact calculating an average rate. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q008. In a study of how lifting strength is influenced by various ways of training, a study group was divided into 2 subgroups of equally matched individuals. The first group did 10 pushups per day for a year and the second group did 50 pushups per day for year. At the end of the year to lifting strength of the first group averaged 147 pounds, while that of the second group averaged 162 pounds. At what average rate did lifting strength increase per daily pushup? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: We need to determine the difference in average pounds lifted and divide that by the difference in daily push ups. The difference in weight is 162- 143 or 19. The difference in push ups is 50-10 or 40. 19/40 equals .475 lbs. The lifting strenth increase on average .475 lbs per daily pushup. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The second group had 15 pounds more lifting strength as a result of doing 40 more daily pushups than the first. The desired rate is therefore 15 pounds / 40 pushups = .375 pounds / pushup. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. STUDENT COMMENT: I have a question with respect as to how the question is interpreted. I used the interpretation given in the solution to question 008 to rephrase the question in 009, but I do not see how this is the correct interpretation of the question as stated. INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE: This exercise is designed to both see what you understand about rates, and to challenge your understanding a bit with concepts that aren't always familiar to students, despite their having completed the necessary prerequisite courses. The meaning of the rate of change of one quantity with respect to another is of central importance in the application of mathematics. This might well be your first encounter with this particular phrasing, so it might well be unfamiliar to you, but it is important, unambiguous and universal. You've taken the first step, which is to correctly apply the wordking of the preceding example to the present question. You'll have ample opportunity in your course to get used to this terminology, and plenty of reinforcement. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary): I made a careless transcribing error. I wrote 143 lbs instead of 147 lbs. My set up was correct but the numbers to plug in were not, and thus the answer was wrong. I understand what my mistake was. ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:3 ********************************************* Question: `q009. In another part of the study, participants all did 30 pushups per day, but one group did pushups with a 10-pound weight on their shoulders while the other used a 30-pound weight. At the end of the study, the first group had an average lifting strength of 171 pounds, while the second had an average lifting strength of 188 pounds. At what average rate did lifting strength increase with respect to the added shoulder weight? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: We first need to find the difference between the average lifting strength of one group and the other. Then we divide this by the difference in shoulder weight. 188 -171 equals 17 lbs. This is the average increase. We divide this by the difference in shoulder weight 30-10 or 20 lbs. 17/20 equals 0.85 lbs of lift strength increase on average per added pound of shoulder weight. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The difference in lifting strength was 17 pounds, as a result of a 20 pound difference in added weight. The average rate at which strength increases with respect added weight would therefore be 17 lifting pounds / (20 added pounds) = .85 lifting pounds / added pound. The strength advantage was .85 lifting pounds per pound of added weight, on the average. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:3 ********************************************* Question: `q010. During a race, a runner passes the 100-meter mark 12 seconds after the start and the 200-meter mark 22 seconds after the start. At what average rate was the runner covering distance between those two positions? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: For this we calculate the change in distance over the change in time. 200-100 eqauls 100meters. This is our change in distance. 22-10 = 12 seconds. This is our change in time. 100 meters/12 seconds = 8.33 meters/second. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: The runner traveled 100 meters between the two positions, and required 10 seconds to do so. The average rate at which the runner was covering distance was therefore 100 meters / (10 seconds) = 10 meters / second. Again this is an average rate; at different positions in his stride the runner would clearly be traveling at slightly different speeds. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. STUDENT QUESTION Is there a formula for this is it d= r*t or distance equal rate times time?????????????????? INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE That formula would apply in this specific situation. The goal is to learn to use the general concept of rate of change. The situation of this problem, and the formula you quote, are just one instance of a general concept that applies far beyond the context of distance and time. It's fine if the formula helps you understand the general concept of rate. Just be sure you work to understand the broader concept. Note also that we try to avoid using d for the name of a variable. The letter d will come to have a specific meaning in the context of rates, and to use d as the name of a variable invite confusion. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary): Again I made a transcribing error. My set up was correct, but I plugged in the wrong number (10 instead of 12). I understand the underlying concept and I understand what I did incorrectly. It's 11pm. It's late and I'm becoming error-prone. Time to call it a night and finish the last two problems in the morning. ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:3 ********************************************* Question: `q011. During a race, a runner passes the 100-meter mark moving at 10 meters / second, and the 200-meter mark moving at 9 meters / second. What is your best estimate of how long it takes the runner to cover the intervening 100 meter distance? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: It would have to be an estimate since the rate he/she is travelling at the given marks doesn't necessarily tell us how fast he/she is running on average during the interventing distance. For example the runner could have been really running hard from 110 meters to 190 meters or running very slowly in that same interval. But to make an estimate, I would say that since the runner is slowing down from 10 meters/s to 9 m/s, we can estimate the average rate by adding 10 m/s and 9 m/s and dividing by 2. 19/2 = 9.5 m/s. Then we divide the total distance by the average rate. 100 m /9.5 m/s = 10.5 seconds. confidence rating #$&*:2 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: At 10 meters/sec, the runner would require 10 seconds to travel 100 meters. However the runner seems to be slowing, and will therefore require more than 10 seconds to travel the 100 meters. We don't know what the runner's average speed is, we only know that it goes from 10 m/s to 9 m/s. The simplest estimate we could make would be that the average speed is the average of 10 m/s and 9 m/s, or (10 m/s + 9 m/s ) / 2 = 9.5 m/s. Taking this approximation as the average rate, the time required to travel 100 meters will be (100 meters) / (9.5 m/s) = 10.5 sec, approx.. Note that simply averaging the 10 m/s and the 9 m/s might not be the best way to approximate the average rate--for example we if we knew enough about the situation we might expect that this runner would maintain the 10 m/s for most of the remaining 100 meters, and simply tire during the last few seconds. However we were not given this information, and we don't add extraneous assumptions without good cause. So the approximation we used here is pretty close to the best we can do with the given information. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK ********************************************* Question: `q012. We just averaged two quantities, adding them and dividing by 2, to find an average rate. We didn't do that before. Why we do it now? YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Your solution: We did it because we had two rates and needed to find an average rate. In the past we had the totals already. This time we needed to do the actual adding to get the total. confidence rating #$&*:3 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Given Solution: In previous examples the quantities weren't rates. We were given the amount of change of some accumulating quantity, and the change in time or in some other quantity on which the first was dependent (e.g., dollars and months, miles and gallons). Here we are given 2 rates, 10 m/s and 9 m/s, in a situation where we need an average rate in order to answer a question. Within this context, averaging the 2 rates was an appropriate tactic. You need to make note of anything in the given solution that you didn't understand when you solved the problem. If new ideas have been introduced in the solution, you need to note them. If you notice an error in your own thinking then you need to note that. In your own words, explain anything you didn't already understand and save your response as Notes. STUDENT QUESTION: I thought the change of an accumulating quantity was the rate? INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE: Quick response: The rate is not just the change in the accumulating quantity; if we're talking about a 'time rate' it's the change in the accumulating quantity divided by the time interval (or in calculus the limiting value of this ratio as the time interval approaches zero). More detailed response: If quantity A changes with respect to quantity B, then the average rate of change of A with respect to B (i.e., change in A / change in B) is 'the rate'. If the B quantity is clock time, then 'the rate' tells you 'how fast' the A quantity accumulates. However the rate is not just the change in the quantity A (i.e., the change in the accumulating quantity), but change in A / change in B. For students having had at least a semester of calculus at some level: Of course the above generalizes into the definition of the derivative. y ' (x) is the instantaneous rate at which the y quantity changes with respect to x. y ' (x) is the rate at which y accumulates with respect to x. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Self-critique (if necessary):OK ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique Rating:OK " Self-critique (if necessary): ------------------------------------------------ Self-critique rating: