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Calculus, MET2 2024 VCAA 3

The points shown on the chart below represent monthly online sales in Australia.

The variable represents sales in millions of dollars.

The variable represents the month when the sales were made, where corresponds to January 2021, corresponds to February 2021 and so on.

  1. A cubic polynomial can be used to model monthly online sales in 2021.

    The graph of is shown as a dashed curve on the set of axes above.

    It has a local minimum at (2,2500) and a local maximum at (11,4400).

     i. Find, correct to two decimal places, the values of and .   (3 mark)

    ii. Let be a cubic function obtained by translating , which can be used to model monthly online sales in 2022.

    Find the values of and such that the graph of has a local maximum at .   (2 marks)

  2. Another function can be used to model monthly online sales, where
     

    Part of the graph of is shown on the axes below.

    1. Complete the graph of on the set of axes above until December 2023, that is, for .Label the endpoint at with its coordinates.   (2 marks)
    1. The function predicts that every 12 months, monthly online sales increase by million dollars.

      Find the value of .   (1 mark)

    1. Find the derivative .   (1 mark)
    1. Hence, find the maximum instantaneous rate of change for the function , correct to the nearest million dollars per month, and the values of in the interval when this maximum rate occurs, correct to one decimal place.   (2 marks)
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ai.   

aii. 

bi.  

bii.  

biii.

biv.

Show Worked Solution
ai.    
  
  
    

  

aii. 

 

bi.   

bii.  

 

biii. 
 
   

  
biv. 

Calculus, MET2 2022 VCAA 2

On a remote island, there are only two species of animals: foxes and rabbits. The foxes are the predators and the rabbits are their prey.

The populations of foxes and rabbits increase and decrease in a periodic pattern, with the period of both populations being the same, as shown in the graph below, for all , where time is measured in weeks.

One point of minimum fox population, (20, 700), and one point of maximum fox population, (100, 2500), are also shown on the graph.

The graph has been drawn to scale.
 

The population of rabbits can be modelled by the rule .

  1.   i. State the initial population of rabbits.   (1 mark)

  2.  ii. State the minimum and maximum population of rabbits.   (1 mark)

  3. iii. State the number of weeks between maximum populations of rabbits.   (1 mark)

The population of foxes can be modelled by the rule .

  1. Show that and .   (2 marks)

  2. Find the maximum combined population of foxes and rabbits. Give your answer correct to the nearest whole number.   (1 mark)

  3. What is the number of weeks between the periods when the combined population of foxes and rabbits is a maximum?   (1 mark)

The population of foxes is better modelled by the transformation of under given by
 

  1. Find the average population during the first 300 weeks for the combined population of foxes and rabbits, where the population of foxes is modelled by the transformation of under the transformation . Give your answer correct to the nearest whole number.   (4 marks)

Over a longer period of time, it is found that the increase and decrease in the population of rabbits gets smaller and smaller.

The population of rabbits over a longer period of time can be modelled by the rule

  1. Find the average rate of change between the first two times when the population of rabbits is at a maximum. Give your answer correct to one decimal place.   (2 marks)

  2. Find the time, where , in weeks, when the rate of change of the rabbit population is at its greatest positive value. Give your answer correct to the nearest whole number.   (2 marks)

  3. Over time, the rabbit population approaches a particular value.
  4. State this value.   (1 mark)

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ai.   

aii.  Minimum population of rabbits

Maximum population of rabbits

aiii.   weeks

b.    See worked solution.

c.    (nearest whole number)

d.    Weeks between the periods is 160

e.    (nearest whole number)

f.    Average rate of change rabbits/week (1 d.p.)

g.    weeks (nearest whole number)  

h.   

Show Worked Solution

ai.  Initial population of rabbits

From graph when

Using formula when

 
  rabbits  


aii. From graph,

Minimum population of rabbits

Maximum population of rabbits

OR

Using formula

Minimum is when

Maximum is when

 
aiii. Number of weeks between maximum populations of rabbits   weeks

 
b.  Period of foxes = period of rabbits = 160:

which is the same period as the rabbit population.

Using the point

Amplitude when : 

 
 
 
 
 

 

  

c.    Using CAS find :

  
     
  

  
Maximum combined population (nearest whole number)


♦♦ Mean mark (c) 40%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Many rounding errors with a common error being 5340. Many students incorrectly added the max value of rabbits to the max value of foxes, however, these points occurred at different times.

d.    Using CAS, check by changing domain to 0 to 320.

    
 

 
Therefore, the number of weeks between the periods is 160.
  

e.    Fox population:

   →  

  →  

  
Average combined population  [Using CAS]   
  

  

(nearest whole number)


♦ Mean mark (e) 40%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Common incorrect answer 1600. Some incorrectly subtracted . Others used average rate of change instead of average value.

f.   Using CAS


 

       
 


 

    
 


 

Av rate of change between the points

  and 


 

Average rate of change rabbits/week (1 d.p.)


♦ Mean mark (f ) 45%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Some students rounded too early.
was commonly seen.
Some found average rate of change between max and min populations.

g.   Using CAS

,

After testing greatest positive value occurs for  

 
   
   

 
weeks (nearest whole number)


♦♦♦ Mean mark (g) 25%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Many students solved .
A common answer was 41.8, as .
Another common incorrect answer was 76 weeks.

h.   As ,

Calculus, MET1 2022 VCAA 8

Part of the graph of is shown below. The rule gives the area bounded by the graph of , the horizontal axis and the line .
 

  1. State the value of .   (1 mark)

  2. Evaluate .   (2 marks)

  3. Consider the average value of the function over the interval , where .
  4. Find the value of that results in the maximum average value.   (2 marks)

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a.   

b.   

c.   

Show Worked Solution
a.   
   
   
b.    
 
   
 
   
   
   

♦♦♦ Mean mark (b) 25%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Common error was giving derivative of as .
c.   Average value  
   
   
   

 
Average value has a maximum value of 1 when


♦♦♦ Mean mark (c) 25%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Students often chose unnecessarily complicated methods or inconsistently applied nomenclature when attempting this question.

Algebra, MET2 2017 VCAA 2

Sammy visits a giant Ferris wheel. Sammy enters a capsule on the Ferris wheel from a platform above the ground. The Ferris wheel is rotating anticlockwise. The capsule is attached to the Ferris wheel at point . The height of above the ground, , is modelled by  , where is the time in minutes after Sammy enters the capsule and is measured in metres.

Sammy exits the capsule after one complete rotation of the Ferris wheel.
 


 

  1. State the minimum and maximum heights of above the ground.   (1 mark)

  2. For how much time is Sammy in the capsule?   (1 mark)

  3. Find the rate of change of with respect to and, hence, state the value of at which the rate of change of is at its maximum.   (2 marks)

As the Ferris wheel rotates, a stationary boat at , on a nearby river, first becomes visible at point . is 500 m horizontally from the vertical axis through the centre of the Ferris wheel and angle , as shown below.
 

   
 

  1. Find in degrees, correct to two decimal places.   (1 mark)

Part of the path of is given by  , where and are in metres.

  1. Find .   (1 mark)

As the Ferris wheel continues to rotate, the boat at is no longer visible from the point  onwards. The line through and is tangent to the path of , where angle .
 

   
 

  1. Find the gradient of the line segment in terms of and, hence, find the coordinates of , correct to two decimal places.   (3 marks)

  2. Find in degrees, correct to two decimal places.   (1 mark)

  3. Hence or otherwise, find the length of time, to the nearest minute, during which the boat at is visible.   (2 marks)

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Show Worked Solution
a.   
     

 

b.   

 

c.   

♦ Mean mark 50%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: A number of commons errors here – 2 answers given, calc not in radian mode, etc …

 

   

 

d.   

♦ Mean mark 36%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Choosing degrees vs radians in the correct context was critical here.

 

 

e.   

 

f.   

 

♦♦♦ Mean mark part (f) 18%.
MARKER’S COMMENT: Many students were unable to use the rise over run information to calculate the second gradient.

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

♦♦♦ Mean mark part (g) 7%.

g.   
   
 

 

h.   

♦♦♦ Mean mark 5%.