City urbanization City planners model the size of their city using the function A(t) = - 1/50t² + 2t +20, for 0 ≤ t ≤ 50, where A is measured in square miles and t is the number of years after 2010. b. How fast will the city be growing when it reaches a size of 38 mi²?
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Step 1: Identify the function A(t) = -\(\frac{1}{50}\)t^2 + 2t + 20, which models the size of the city in square miles as a function of time t in years after 2010.
Step 2: To find how fast the city is growing, we need to determine the rate of change of A with respect to t, which is the derivative A'(t).
Step 3: Differentiate A(t) with respect to t to find A'(t). The derivative of A(t) = -\(\frac{1}{50}\)t^2 + 2t + 20 is A'(t) = -\(\frac{2}{50}\)t + 2.
Step 4: Set A(t) equal to 38 to find the value of t when the city reaches a size of 38 mi². Solve the equation -\(\frac{1}{50}\)t^2 + 2t + 20 = 38 for t.
Step 5: Once you have the value of t, substitute it into A'(t) to find the rate of growth of the city at that time.
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Key Concepts
Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.
Function Analysis
Understanding the function A(t) = -1/50t² + 2t + 20 is crucial for analyzing the growth of the city. This quadratic function represents the area of the city over time, where the coefficients indicate how the area changes as time progresses. The vertex of the parabola can provide insights into maximum growth, while the shape of the graph helps in understanding the growth rate at different time intervals.
The derivative of the function A(t) represents the rate of change of the city's area with respect to time. By calculating A'(t), we can determine how fast the city is growing at any given time. This concept is essential for finding the growth rate when the city reaches a specific size, such as 38 mi², as it allows us to evaluate the instantaneous growth at that point.
To find out how fast the city is growing when it reaches 38 mi², we first need to solve the equation A(t) = 38 for t. This involves setting the function equal to 38 and solving for the time variable t. Once we have the appropriate value of t, we can substitute it back into the derivative A'(t) to find the growth rate at that specific moment.