A ladder 5 m long is leaning against a w | Class 12 Mathematics Chapter Application of Derivatives, Application of Derivatives NCERT Solutions

Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Mathematics - Chapter Application of Derivatives. This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Exercise 1, Question 10: . With detailed answers and explanations for each chapter, students can strengthen their understanding and prepare confidently for exams. Ideal for CBSE and other board students, this resource will simplify your study experience.

Question 10:

A ladder 5 m long is leaning against a wall. The bottom of the ladder is pulled along the ground, away from the wall, at the rate of 2 cm/s. How fast is its height on the wall decreasing when the foot of the ladder is 4 m away from the wall?

Answer:

Let y m be the height of the wall at which the ladder touches. Also, let the foot of the ladder be x maway from the wall.

Then, by Pythagoras theorem, we have:

x2 + y2 = 25 [Length of the ladder = 5 m]

\begin{align}\Rightarrow y = \sqrt{25 - x^2}\end{align}

Then, the rate of change of height (y) with respect to time (t) is given by,

\begin{align}\frac{dy}{dx} = \frac{-x}{\sqrt{25 - x^2}}.\frac{dx}{dt}\end{align}

It is given that

\begin{align}\frac{dx}{dt}= 2 \; cm/s.\end{align}

\begin{align}\therefore\frac{dy}{dt} = \frac{-2x}{\sqrt{25 - x^2}}\end{align}

Now, when x = 4 m, we have:

\begin{align}\therefore\frac{dy}{dt} = \frac{-2 \times 4}{\sqrt{25 - 4^2}}=-\frac{8}{3}\end{align}

Hence, the height of the ladder on the wall is decreasing at the rate of

\begin{align}\frac{8}{3}\end{align}


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Comments

  • Lakshay
  • Jan 16, 2017

Thank u so much


  • Nhutlam
  • Oct 05, 2016

need to change the units?


  • vaikalya
  • Sep 17, 2016

how do u got dy/dx


Add Comment

Welcome to the NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Mathematics - Chapter . This page offers a step-by-step solution to the specific question from Excercise 1 , Question 10: A ladder 5 m long is leaning against a wall. The bottom of the ladder is pulled along the ground, aw....