1. ## related rates

I had a hard time figuring out this problem. I tried different formulas and plugged in the numbers but I didn't get the correct answer. Please help me. Thanks a lot.
1. A baseball diamond is a square with sides 90 ft. At the moment a batter hits the ball, a runner from first base starts running to second base with a speed of 22 ft/sec and a runner from second base starts running to third base with a speed of 28 ft/sec. At what rate is the distance between these two runners changing 1 second later . Is this distance increasing or decreasing?

2. I am new at this stuff too, but if you google "related rates baseball diamond" there are several examples. I think the baseball diamond is used commonly in these type questions.

Hope you find some help.

3. Hello, jsu03!

I hope you had a good diagram.

1. A baseball diamond is a square with sides 90 ft. At the moment a batter hits the ball,
a runner from first base starts running to second base with a speed of 22 ft/sec
and a runner from second base starts running to third base with a speed of 28 ft/sec.
At what rate is the distance between these two runners changing 1 second later?
Is this distance increasing or decreasing?
Code:
                    C
y  *
D  *   * 90-x
o       *  B
*           o
*               * x
*                   *
*                       * A
*                   *
*               *
*           *
*       *
*   *
*

At time $t$, the runner on 1st has run $x$ feet from $A\text{ to }B,$
. . where $\frac{dx}{dt} = 22$ ft/sec. .Note that: $BC \:=\:90-x$

At the same time, the runner on 2nd has run $y$ feet from $C\text{ to }D,$
. . where $\frac{dy}{dt} = 28$ ft/sec.

Draw line segment $BD$, and let $z = BD.$

Since $BCD$ is a right triangle: . $z^2 \:=\:(90-x)^2 + y^2$

Differentiate with respect to time: . $2z\frac{dz}{dt} \:=\:-2(90-x)\frac{dx}{dt} + 2y\frac{dy}{dt}$

. . and we have: . $\frac{dz}{dt} \;=\;\frac{1}{z}\left[(x-90)\frac{dx}{dt} + y\frac{dy}{dt}\right]$ .[1]

When $t = 1\!\;\;x = 22,\;y = 28,\;\frac{dx}{dt} = 22,\;\frac{dy}{dt} = 28$

. . and: . $z \;=\;\sqrt{22^2+28^2} \:=\:\sqrt{1269} \;=\;3\sqrt{141}$

Substitute into [1]: . $\frac{dz}{dt} \;=\;\frac{1}{3\sqrt{141}}\bigg[(22-90)(22) + (28)(28)\bigg] \;=\;\frac{-712}{3\sqrt{141}}$

Therefore: . $\frac{dz}{dt} \;=\;-19.98707226 \;\approx\;\boxed{-20\text{ ft/sec}}\quad\hdots\quad\boxed{\text{decreasing}}$