Find the dimensions that will minimize the cost of the material?

A cylindrical container that has a capacity of 10\text( m)^3 is to be produced.

  • The top and bottom of the container are to be made of a material that costs $20 per square meter,
  • while the side of that container is to be made of a material costing $15 per square meter.

Find the dimensions that will minimize the cost of the material.

2 Answers
Nov 21, 2016

h=2.82876, r = 1.06078

Explanation:

Calling c_1=20 and c_2=15 the total cost is

C=2(pi r^2)c_1+(2pirh)c_2.

Here r is the base radius and h is the side height.

The volume is given by

V=pir^2h=V_0=10.

Now, the problem can be stated as

min_(h,r)C(h,r) restricted to V(h,r)=V_0

Using lagrange multipliers it reads

L(h,r,lambda)=C(h,r)+lambda (V(h,r)-V_0)

with stationary points given by

grad L = vec 0 or

{(2 c_2 pi r + pi r^2 lambda= 0), (2 c_2 h pi+ 4 c_1 pi r + 2 h pi r lambda = 0), (h pi r^2 - V_0 =0):}

solving for h,r,lambda we get

h = root(3)((2c_1/c_2)^2V_0/pi), r= root(3)(c_2/c_1V_0/(2pi)),lambda = -2root(3)((2pic_1c_2^2)/(V_0)) or

h=2.82876, r = 1.06078 with associated cost C=424.214

We know that is a minimum because

(C@V)(r)=(2 (c_1 pi r^3 + c_2 V_0))/r and
(d^2)/(dr^2)(C@V)(r)=(4 (c_1 pi r^3 + c_2 V_0))/r^3

and for the found solution has the value

(d^2)/(dr^2)(C@V)(r)=240pi > 0

Nov 21, 2016

For students who have not yet learned calculus of two variables, here is the single variable solution.

Explanation:

A (right circular) cylinder has two variables,

height, h, and
radius, r.

The top and bottom cost pir^2(20) $. SInce there are two of these, they add 40pir^2 $ to the cost.

The cost of the side of the cylinder will be 2pirh(15) = 30pirh $

The total cost is 40pir^2 + 30pirh.

In order to make this a function of a single variable, we need an equation with both h and r in it.

The volume of a (right circular) cylinder is V = pi r^2h and we want the volume to be 10 " " m^3.

pi r^2h = 10, so

h = 10/(pir^2).

The cost can now be written as a function of r alone.

C(r) = 40pir^2 + 30pirh = 40pir^2 + 30pir(10/(pir^2))

= 40pir^2 + 30pir(10/(pir^2))

= 40pir^2 + 300/r

Domain is r > 0

We want to minimize C, so we'll find the derivative, then critical number(s) and then test the critical number(s).

C'(r) = 80pir-300/r^2 = (80pir^3-300)/r^2

The only real valued critical number is r = root(3)(15/(4pi)).

Using the first or second derivative test verifies that C is minimum at this critical number.

Second derivative test:
C''(x) = 80pi+600/r^3

So C''(root(3)(15/(4pi))) = 80pi+600/(15/(4pi)) > 0

Finally, the question asks for the dimensions, so we have

r = root(3)(15/(4pi)) and

h = 10/(pir^2) = 10/(pi(root(3)(15/(4pi)))^2)

= 10/pi (root(3)((4pi)/15))^2 (Rewrite further as desired.)