To solve these problems, we can use the Pythagorean theorem to relate the sides of the triangle formed by the ladder, the house, and the ground. Let's call the distance from the base of the ladder to the wall "x" and the distance from the top of the ladder to the ground "y."
We know that the ladder is 25 feet long, so by the Pythagorean theorem, we have:
x^2 + y^2 = 25^2
Part 1: Finding how fast the top of the ladder is moving down the wall
We are given that the base of the ladder is moving away from the wall at a rate of 2 feet per second. This means that dx/dt = 2 (the rate of change of x).
To find dy/dt (the rate at which the top of the ladder is moving down the wall), we need to differentiate the equation x^2 + y^2 = 25^2 with respect to time:
2x(dx/dt) + 2y(dy/dt) = 0 (since the derivative of a constant is zero)
We can solve this equation for dy/dt:
2y(dy/dt) = -2x(dx/dt)
dy/dt = -2x(dx/dt) / (2y)
dy/dt = -x(dx/dt) / y
Now we can substitute the given values for x and dx/dt to find the values of dy/dt:
a) When the base of the ladder is 7 feet from the wall:
x = 7, dx/dt = 2
Plugging these values into the equation, we get:
dy/dt = -7(2) / y
To find the value of y, we can use the Pythagorean theorem again:
x^2 + y^2 = 25^2
7^2 + y^2 = 25^2
49 + y^2 = 625
y^2 = 576
y = 24 (since y cannot be negative)
Now we can calculate dy/dt:
dy/dt = -7(2) / 24
dy/dt = -7/12 feet per second
b) When the base of the ladder is 15 feet from the wall:
x = 15, dx/dt = 2
Following the same steps, we get:
dy/dt = -15(2) / y
Using the Pythagorean theorem again, we find:
y = 20
dy/dt = -15(2) / 20
dy/dt = -3/4 feet per second
c) When the base of the ladder is 24 feet from the wall:
x = 24, dx/dt = 2
Using the Pythagorean theorem, we find:
y = 7
dy/dt = -24(2) / 7
dy/dt = -48/7 feet per second
Part 2: Finding how fast the area of the triangle is changing
The area of the triangle can be calculated using the formula:
A = (1/2) * base * height
Since we know that x is the base and y is the height, we can rewrite the equation as:
A = (1/2) * x * y
To find dA/dt (the rate at which the area is changing with respect to time), we need to differentiate the equation with respect to time:
dA/dt = (1/2) * (dx/dt * y + x *dy/dt)
Plugging in the values for dx/dt and dy/dt from part 1:
When x = 7, dx/dt = 2, y = 24, dy/dt = -7/12:
dA/dt = (1/2) * (2 * 24 + 7 * (-7/12))
When x = 7, the rate of change of the area is:
dA/dt = 11/2 square feet per second
Part 3: Finding the rate at which the angle between the ladder and the wall is changing
To find this rate, we need to use the fact that the tangent of the angle between the ladder and the wall is given by y/x, where x and y are defined as before.
We can differentiate this equation with respect to time:
d(tanθ)/dt = (1/x^2) * (dx/dt * y - x *dy/dt)
Plugging in the values for dx/dt and dy/dt from part 1:
When x = 7, dx/dt = 2, y = 24, dy/dt = -7/12:
d(tanθ)/dt = (1/7^2) * (2 * 24 - 7 * (-7/12))
When x = 7, the rate of change of the angle is:
d(tanθ)/dt = -7/6 radians per second (approximately)