Q.Show that height of the cylinder of greatest volume which can be inscribed in a right circular cone of height h and semi vertical angle α is one-third that of the cone and the greatest volume of cylinder is 274πh3tan2α.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Optimization Word Problem
Optimization Word Problems
Imagine planning a garden with 40 metres of fencing and wanting the largest rectangular area. A long, thin rectangle wastes space; a square feels roomier; somewhere in between lies the best shape. That is an optimisation problem — a fixed resource and a quantity to make as large (or as small) as possible.
Every optimisation word problem has the same skeleton: the best outcome — maximum area, minimum cost, largest volume, shortest time — under a constraint — limited material, a fixed budget, a given perimeter.
The Plan of Attack
The problem gives you a story, not a graph. Your job is to turn it into a single-variable function and find its peak or valley:
- Name the quantity to optimise — call it Q, and write it using variables.
- Find the constraint — a relation between those variables (e.g. "perimeter =40").
- Reduce to one variable — use the constraint to eliminate the rest.
- Differentiate — solve Q′(x)=0 to find the critical points.
- Confirm — use Q′′(x)<0 for a maximum or Q′′(x)>0 for a minimum.
- Answer the question asked — give the actual dimensions/cost, not just x.
In board exams these problems almost always reduce to a quadratic or cubic. Once Q(x) is written, the calculus is mechanical.
The Garden, Worked
40 m of fencing encloses a rectangle; maximise the area.
- Objective: A=lw.
- Constraint: 2l+2w=40, so l+w=20.
- Reduce: w=20−l, giving A(l)=l(20−l)=20l−l2.
- Differentiate: A′(l)=20−2l=0⟹l=10.
- Confirm: A′′(l)=−2<0, a maximum.
So l=w=10 m — a 10 m × 10 m square.
A common slip: solving A′(l)=0 and stopping. Always check max vs min, and answer in the units asked.
The Common Families
| Problem type | Typical objective | Typical constraint |
|--------------|-------------------|--------------------| …
Concept: Optimization Word Problem — maximizing the volume of a cylinder inscribed in a cone.
Let the cone have height h and base radius R=htanα. Inscribe a cylinder of radius r and height H. By similar triangles, the cylinder’s top touches the cone’s slant surface, so:
Rr=hh−H⇒r=R(1−hH)=htanα(1−hH).
Volume of cylinder: V=πr2H=πh2tan2α(1−hH)2H.
Let x=H/h. Then V=πh3tan2α⋅(1−x)2x. Differentiate with respect to x:
dxdV=πh3tan2α[(1−x)2−2x(1−x)]=πh3tan2α(1−x)(1−3x). …
The problem is a classic optimisation under constraint: inscribe a cylinder in a cone and maximise its volume. The key is to express the cylinder’s radius in terms of its height using similar triangles, then differentiate. The optimal height is h/3 and the maximum volume is 274πh3tan2α.
We have a right circular cone of height h and semi-vertical angle α. That means the radius of the cone’s base is R=htanα. Inside this cone, we inscribe a cylinder of radius r and height x, with its axis along the cone’s axis. The cylinder touches the cone’s lateral surface all around — so the top face of the cylinder is a circle that just fits inside the cone at a certain height.
The key geometric insight: from a side view, the cone is a triangle, and the cylinder is a rectangle inscribed in it. The top corners of the rectangle lie on the sloping sides of the triangle. This gives a direct linear relation between r and x via similar triangles.
Let’s work it through.
- Set up the geometry. Draw the cone with vertex at the top and base at the bottom. Place the vertex at the origin of a coordinate system for convenience. The cone’s axis is vertical. At a distance y measured downward from the vertex, the radius of the cone’s cross-section is ytanα. The cylinder of height x sits inside: its top face is at some distance from the vertex, and its bottom face rests on the cone’s base (or somewhere inside — but for maximum volume, the cylinder will touch the cone’s lateral surface along its entire height, so its top face is at a distance d from the vertex, and its bottom face is at distance d+x). However, a cleaner approach: let the cylinder’s height be x, measured from the base upward. Then the distance from the vertex to the top of the cylinder is h−x. At that height, the cone’s radius is (h−x)tanα. This must equal the cylinder’s radius r, because the cylinder’s top edge touches the cone. So we have:
r=(h−x)tanα.
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Write the volume of the cylinder.
Volume V=πr2x=π[(h−x)tanα]2x=πtan2α⋅x(h−x)2.
-
Maximise V with respect to x.
Since πtan2α is a positive constant, we maximise f(x)=x(h−x)2 for 0<x<h.
Differentiate:
f′(x)=(h−x)2+x⋅2(h−x)(−1)=(h−x)2−2x(h−x).
Factor (h−x):
f′(x)=(h−x)[(h−x)−2x]=(h−x)(h−3x).
- Set f′(x)=0. Either h−x=0 (which gives x=h, a degenerate cylinder of zero radius) or h−3x=0, so x=h/3. The second derivative test or sign analysis confirms this gives a maximum: for x<h/3, f′(x)>0; for x>h/3, f′(x)<0. …
Method: Optimizing a Cylinder Inscribed in a Cone (Similar Triangles)
This method finds the maximum volume of a cylinder inscribed in a cone by using similar triangles — rather than a sphere's Pythagorean constraint — to link the cylinder's radius and height, then reducing to a single-variable calculus problem.
Steps
Step 1: Set up the cone's dimensions and the similar-triangle relation
For a cone of height h and semi-vertical angle α, the base radius is R=htanα. Inscribe a cylinder of radius r and height x (measured from the cone's base) with its top rim touching the cone's slant surface. Measuring from the vertex, the cylinder's top is at a distance h−x, and the cone's radius there is (h−x)tanα — this must equal the cylinder's radius:
r=(h−x)tanα.
This is the similar-triangles constraint — always sketch the side view (a triangle with a rectangle inside it) to read this relation off directly.
Step 2: Write the volume in one variable
V(x)=πr2x=πtan2α⋅x(h−x)2.
Step 3: Differentiate and factor
V′(x)=πtan2α[(h−x)2−2x(h−x)]=πtan2α(h−x)(h−3x).
Setting V′(x)=0 gives x=h (degenerate, zero radius) or x=3h.
Step 4: Confirm the maximum via a sign check …
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Measuring the cylinder's radius from the vertex instead of from the base
A student sets r=xtanα (using x, the cylinder's own height measured from the base) instead of r=(h−x)tanα. Why it's wrong: the cone's radius at a given point depends on the distance from the apex, and the cylinder's top is at distance h−x from the apex, not x — using the wrong distance flips which factor decreases and changes the final answer. Correct approach: always sketch the side view and measure explicitly from the vertex down to the cylinder's top rim.
Mistake 2: Reporting x=h as a valid critical point …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-19-FN1 markMCQQ.Let 3 be the radius and 3π be the semivertical angle of the given cone. Then the height of the right circular cylinder of maximum volume that can be inscribed in the given cone is (A) 3 (B) 23 (C) 32 (D) 31
›Reveal solutionSolution
We inscribe a cylinder in a cone and use similar triangles to relate its dimensions. Maximising its volume by calculus gives the height as 31 of the cone’s height, which here equals 31.
The problem gives a cone with radius 3 and semivertical angle 3π. The semivertical angle is the angle between the axis and the slant edge. That means in a vertical cross-section through the axis, the cone looks like an isosceles triangle with base 23 and height h such that tan(π/3)=heightradius=h3. Since tan(π/3)=3, we get 3=h3, so h=1. The cone’s height is 1.
Now imagine a right circular cylinder inscribed in this cone — its axis coincides with the cone’s axis, and its top face touches the slant surface. In the cross-section, the cylinder appears as a rectangle inside the triangle. Let the cylinder’s radius be r and its height be H. The key is that the top corners of the rectangle lie on the slant edges of the triangle.
- Relate r and H using similar triangles. In the cross-section, consider the smaller triangle above the cylinder: its base is r (half the cylinder’s diameter) and its height is 1−H (the distance from the cylinder’s top to the cone’s apex). This small triangle is similar to the whole triangle (base 3, height 1). So:
3r=11−H
Hence r=3(1−H).
-
Write the volume of the cylinder.
Volume V=πr2H=π[3(1−H)]2H=3π(1−H)2H.
-
Maximise V with respect to H. …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-20-AN1 markMCQQ.The absolute maximum value of the function f(x)=2x3−3x2−36x+9 defined on [−3,3] is (A) 36 (B) 53 (C) 63 (D) 72
›Reveal solutionSolution
The maximum value of a continuous function on a closed interval occurs either at a critical point or at an endpoint. For f(x)=2x3−3x2−36x+9 on [−3,3], the absolute maximum is 63, which occurs at x=−2.
We are asked for the absolute maximum — the highest value the function reaches anywhere on the given closed interval. A cubic polynomial is continuous everywhere, so on a closed interval it must attain both a maximum and a minimum. The candidates are the endpoints and any points where the derivative is zero (critical points) inside the interval.
The derivative is f′(x)=6x2−6x−36. Factor it: 6(x2−x−6)=6(x−3)(x+2). So f′(x)=0 at x=3 and x=−2. Both lie in [−3,3], so they are valid critical points.
Now evaluate f at all candidates:
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At x=−3 (left endpoint):
f(−3)=2(−27)−3(9)−36(−3)+9=−54−27+108+9=36.
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At x=−2 (critical point):
f(−2)=2(−8)−3(4)−36(−2)+9=−16−12+72+9=53.
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At x=3 (critical point and right endpoint):
f(3)=2(27)−3(9)−36(3)+9=54−27−108+9=−72.
The values are 36, 53, and −72. The largest is 53 — but wait, that's not among the options. Let's check again.
Watch outA common mistake is to forget that x=3 is both a critical point and an endpoint — but that's fine. The real pitfall here is mis-evaluating f(−2). Let's recompute carefully.
f(−2)=2(−8)−3(4)−36(−2)+9=−16−12+72+9. …
-
- TG EAPCET 2024Set eng-2024-05-09-FN1 markMCQQ.If the interval in which the real valued function f(x)=log(1−x1+x)−2x−1−x2x3 is decreasing in (a,b), where ∣b−a∣ is maximum, then ba= (A) −1 (B) 1 (C) 32 (D) 23
›Reveal solutionSolution
The derivative simplifies to f′(x)=(1−x2)2−x2(1+x2), which is ≤0 throughout the domain (−1,1) (zero only at the isolated point x=0). Hence f is decreasing on the whole interval (−1,1), so a=−1, b=1 and ba=−1, option (A).
Concept & Intuition
f is decreasing where f′(x)≤0 (with equality only at isolated points). We differentiate, simplify the sign, and take the longest interval on which f never increases. The log term log1−x1+x requires 1−x1+x>0, so the domain is (−1,1); the answer must lie inside it.
Step-by-step
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Domain. 1−x1+x>0 and 1−x2=0 give x∈(−1,1).
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Differentiate.
f′(x)=1+x1+1−x1−2−dxd(1−x2x3).
The first two terms combine to 1−x22.
- Last term (quotient rule).
dxd(1−x2x3)=(1−x2)23x2(1−x2)−x3(−2x)=(1−x2)23x2−x4.
- Combine over (1−x2)2.
f′(x)=1−x22−2−(1−x2)23x2−x4=(1−x2)22(1−x2)−2(1−x2)2−(3x2−x4).
The numerator is
(2−2x2)−(2−4x2+2x4)−(3x2−x4)=−x2−x4=−x2(1+x2).
So
f′(x)=(1−x2)2−x2(1+x2). …
-
- TG EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-11-AN1 markMCQQ.The foci of the ellipse 25x2+16y2=1 and that of the hyperbola a2x2−b2y2=1 are same. The greatest length of the transverse axis of the hyperbola such that the difference of the squares of their eccentricities is at least one is (A) 15172 (B) 6 (C) 1730 (D) 3415
›Reveal solutionSolution
Shared foci give c=3; the condition e22−e12≥1 forces A≤3415, so the greatest transverse axis is 3430=17152.
Ellipse. 25x2+16y2=1⇒a=5, c2=25−16=9, c=3. Foci (±3,0) and e1=53, so e12=259.
Hyperbola (same foci). A2x2−B2y2=1 with A2+B2=c2=9 and e2=A3, so e22=A29.
Condition. e22−e12≥1: …
- TG EAPCET 2021Set eng-2021-08-06-AN1 markMCQQ.If the minimum value of the quadratic expression x2+5x−2 is M and it exists at a then aM= (A) 3.3 (B) 533 (C) 2.5 (D) −0.25
›Reveal solutionSolution
The minimum value of a quadratic expression Ax2+Bx+C occurs at the x-coordinate x=−B/(2A). We will find this x-coordinate, denoted as a, and then substitute a back into the expression to find the minimum value, M. Finally, we calculate the ratio M/a. The result is 3.3.
A quadratic expression of the form f(x)=Ax2+Bx+C represents a parabola when graphed. The sign of the coefficient A determines the direction the parabola opens:
- If A>0, the parabola opens upwards, and its vertex is the lowest point, representing the minimum value of the expression.
- If A<0, the parabola opens downwards, and its vertex is the highest point, representing the maximum value of the expression.
In this problem, the expression is x2+5x−2. Here, the coefficient of x2 is A=1, which is positive. Therefore, the parabola opens upwards, and the expression has a minimum value. This minimum value occurs at the vertex of the parabola.
The x-coordinate of the vertex for a quadratic Ax2+Bx+C is given by a standard formula. Once we find this x-coordinate, which is a in this problem, we can substitute it back into the expression to find the minimum value, M.
-
Identify the coefficients of the quadratic expression.
The given quadratic expression is x2+5x−2.
Comparing this to the standard form Ax2+Bx+C, we can identify the coefficients:
A=1
B=5
C=−2
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Find the x-coordinate where the minimum value exists.
The problem states that the minimum value exists at a. This a is the x-coordinate of the vertex of the parabola.
For a quadratic expression Ax2+Bx+C, the x-coordinate of the vertex is given by x=−2AB.
Substitute the values of A and B into this formula:
a=−2(1)5
a=−25
-
Find the minimum value of the expression.
The problem states that the minimum value is M. This M is the value of the expression when x=a.
Substitute a=−25 into the expression x2+5x−2:
M=(−25)2+5(−25)−2
M=425−225−2
To combine these fractions, we find a common denominator, which is 4: …
- TG EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-04-AN1 markMCQQ.If local maximum of f(x)=(x−1)(x−4)ax+b exists at (2,−1), then a+b= (A) 0 (B) −1 (C) 1 (D) 2
›Reveal solutionSolution
The key idea is that a local maximum at a point implies the derivative is zero there and the point lies on the curve. Solving these conditions gives a=−2 and b=3, so a+b=1. The correct option is (C).
We are told that f(x)=(x−1)(x−4)ax+b has a local maximum at the point (2,−1). This gives us two pieces of information: the point lies on the graph, and the derivative is zero at x=2. Let’s unpack why.
Concept and intuition:
A local maximum at a point means the function’s value there is higher than nearby values. For a differentiable function, this implies the tangent line is horizontal — so the derivative is zero. Also, the point must satisfy the function itself. So we have two equations in the unknowns a and b. Solve them, then compute a+b.
- Use the point on the curve Since (2,−1) lies on f(x), we have f(2)=−1.
f(2)=(2−1)(2−4)a(2)+b=(1)(−2)2a+b=−22a+b
Set equal to −1:
−22a+b=−1⇒22a+b=1⇒2a+b=2.(1)
- Use the derivative condition The derivative must be zero at x=2. First, find f′(x). Write f(x)=x2−5x+4ax+b. Use the quotient rule:
f′(x)=(x2−5x+4)2(a)(x2−5x+4)−(ax+b)(2x−5).
We only need f′(2)=0, so the numerator must be zero at x=2 (denominator is nonzero there).
Numerator at x=2:
a(4−10+4)−(2a+b)(4−5)=a(−2)−(2a+b)(−1)=−2a+(2a+b)=b.
Set equal to zero:
b=0.(2)
- Solve for a and b …
- TG EAPCET 2025Set eng-2025-05-04-FN1 markMCQQ.If local maximum of f(x)=(x−1)(x−4)ax+b exists at (2,−1), then a+b= (A) 2 (B) 1 (C) −1 (D) 0
›Reveal solutionSolution
We use the conditions that the point (2,−1) lies on the curve f(x) and that the derivative f′(x) is zero at a local maximum. This gives us two equations to solve for a and b, leading to a+b=1.
A local maximum of a function f(x) at a point (x0,y0) provides two critical pieces of information:
- The point lies on the curve: The function's value at x0 is y0. This means f(x0)=y0.
- The slope of the tangent is zero: At a local maximum (or minimum), the tangent line to the curve is horizontal. The slope of this tangent is given by the first derivative, so f′(x0)=0.
We will use these two conditions to set up a system of equations for a and b, and then solve for them.
- Use the condition that the point (2,−1) lies on the curve. Since the local maximum exists at (2,−1), the point (2,−1) must satisfy the function's equation. Substitute x=2 and f(x)=−1 into the given function f(x)=(x−1)(x−4)ax+b:
−1=(2−1)(2−4)a(2)+b
−1=(1)(−2)2a+b
−1=−22a+b
Multiplying both sides by $-2$ gives our first equation:2=2a+b(Equation 1)
- Find the first derivative of f(x). First, expand the denominator of f(x):
f(x)=x2−5x+4ax+b
We use the quotient rule for differentiation. > [!FORMULA] > If $f(x) = \frac{u(x)}{v(x)}$, then $f'(x) = \frac{u'(x)v(x) - u(x)v'(x)}{(v(x))^2}$. Here, we have: * $u(x) = ax+b \implies u'(x) = a$ * $v(x) = x^2-5x+4 \implies v'(x) = 2x-5$ Substituting these into the quotient rule formula:f′(x)=(x2−5x+4)2a(x2−5x+4)−(ax+b)(2x−5)
- Use the condition that the derivative is zero at the local maximum. At a local maximum, the first derivative f′(x) must be zero. Since the local maximum is at x=2, we must have f′(2)=0. Substitute x=2 into the expression for f′(x): …
- TG EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-11-FN1 markMCQQ.If the minimum value of the quadratic expression ax2−7x+3a is −81, then the sum of the roots of the equation ax2−7x+3a=0 is (A) 87 (B) 1 (C) 27 (D) −14
›Reveal solutionSolution
The minimum of a quadratic occurs at its vertex; equating the given minimum value to the vertex formula yields a, and then the sum of the roots follows from Vieta’s relations. The sum is 27.
The key idea: for a quadratic ax2+bx+c, the vertex (where the minimum or maximum occurs) is at x=−2ab, and the value there is f(−2ab). Here the expression is ax2−7x+3a, so b=−7 and c=3a. Since the minimum is given, a must be positive (otherwise the parabola opens downward and has no minimum). We’ll use the vertex condition to find a, then use Vieta’s formulas to get the sum of the roots.
- Find the vertex’s x-coordinate. For f(x)=ax2−7x+3a, the vertex is at
x=−2ab=−2a−7=2a7.
- Compute the minimum value. Substitute x=2a7 into f(x):
f(2a7)=a(2a7)2−7(2a7)+3a.
Simplify term by term:
a⋅4a249=4a49,
−7⋅2a7=−2a49,
and the constant +3a stays. So
fmin=4a49−2a49+3a=4a49−4a98+3a=−4a49+3a.
- Set this equal to the given minimum −81.
−4a49+3a=−81.
Multiply through by 8a (since a>0, no sign issues):
−98+24a2=−a.
Rearranging:
24a2+a−98=0.
- Solve for a. This quadratic in a factors or use the quadratic formula:
a=2⋅24−1±1+4⋅24⋅98=48−1±1+9408=48−1±9409.
Since 9409=972 (check: 972=9409), we have …
- TG EAPCET 2022Set eng-2022-07-19-AN1 markMCQQ.Let f(x)={1+6x−3x2,x+log2(b2+7),x≤1x>1. Then the set of all possible values of b such that f(1) is the maximum value of f(x) is (A) [−1,1] (B) [0,1] (C) [0,2] (D) [−1,0]
›Reveal solutionSolution
On x≤1, f is a downward parabola peaking at x=1 with f(1)=4; for f(1) to stay the maximum, the right branch must not jump above 4 at x=1+, i.e. 1+log2(b2+7)≤4, giving b∈[−1,1] (option A).
Left branch (x≤1): f(x)=1+6x−3x2. Its derivative f′(x)=6−6x=0 at x=1, and the parabola opens downward, so on (−∞,1] the maximum is at x=1:
f(1)=1+6−3=4. …
- TG EAPCET 2026Set eng-2026-05-09-FN1 markMCQQ.Probability for a person A to have success in one trial is 52. In 7 Bernoulli trials, if the probability that A has k successes is to be highest probability, then k= (A) 3 (B) 4 (C) 5 (D) 7
›Reveal solutionSolution
The most probable number of successes in a binomial distribution is the mode, found by checking when the probability ratio P(k+1)/P(k) crosses 1. For n=7, p=2/5, the mode is k=3, so the answer is (A).
The key idea is that for a fixed number of Bernoulli trials, the probability of exactly k successes is given by the binomial formula. The "most probable" k is the mode of this distribution. Instead of computing all probabilities, we can find where the sequence P(k) stops increasing and starts decreasing — that is, where the ratio P(k+1)/P(k) becomes less than 1.
- Set up the binomial probability For n=7 trials, success probability p=52, failure probability q=1−p=53, the probability of exactly k successes is
P(k)=(k7)(52)k(53)7−k.
- Consider the ratio of successive probabilities
P(k)P(k+1)=(k7)(k+17)⋅qp=k+17−k⋅qp.
This ratio tells us how P(k) changes as k increases. If it is greater than 1, P(k+1)>P(k); if less than 1, P(k+1)<P(k).
- Find where the ratio crosses 1 Set the ratio equal to 1 to find the threshold:
k+17−k⋅3/52/5=k+17−k⋅32=1.
Solve:
k+17−k=23⇒2(7−k)=3(k+1)⇒14−2k=3k+3⇒11=5k⇒k=2.2.
- Interpret the result The ratio is >1 when k<2.2 (so probabilities increase up to k=2), and <1 when k>2.2 (so probabilities decrease after k=3). This means the maximum occurs at the integer just after the crossing point: k=3. …
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