4. A car is approaching a right-angled intersection from the north at 70 mph, and a truck is traveling to the east at 60 mph. When the car is 1.5 miles north of the intersection and the truck is 2 miles to the east, at what rate, in miles per hour, is the distance between the car and truck changing?






Answer is: option3

Increasing 6 miles per hour

Solution:

\( x = 2 \) miles

\( y = 1.5 \)

\( z^2 = x^2 + y^2 \)

\( z = \sqrt{2^2 + (1.5)^2} = 2.5 \)

\(\frac{dx}{dt} = 60, \quad \frac{dy}{dt} = -70 \)

Differentiation:

\( z^2 = x^2 + y^2 \)

\( 2z \frac{dz}{dt} = 2x \frac{dx}{dt} + 2y \frac{dy}{dt} \)

\( 2(2.5) \frac{dz}{dt} = 2(2)(60) + 2(1.5)(-70) \)

\( 5 \frac{dz}{dt} = 120 - 105 = 15 \)

\( \frac{dz}{dt} = \frac{15}{2.5} = 6 \)

Since \( \frac{dz}{dt} = 6 \) and is positive,

Final Answer: Increasing 6 miles per hour

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