Example 4

The radius ofa right circular cylinder is measured with an error of at most 270, and the height is measured with an erlor of at most 4%. Approxinate the marimum possible percentage error in the volume y calculated from these measurements.

Solutiort, Let r, h, and y be the true radius, height, and volume of the cylinder, Ar, A/r, and Ay be the errols in these quantities. We are given that

and let

Ar Lh l- - 0.02 and lr -h

0.04

15.5

Tangent Planes; Total Differentials for Functions of Two Variables 935

We want to find the maximum possible value of IAV/ V l. Since the volume of the cylinder is V : rr2 h, it follows fiom (9) that

Jv
If we

av 3v -l-dr+Lrtn 3r lt
cl

=27rrhJt I nrt.lh
dh

choose

dr = Lr

a:f.d

Al?, then we can use the approximations

AV
But

^.dV and

LV vv -!-

dV

dV_

2rrh dr -+ nrz ,lh

so by the rdangle inequality (1.2.2)

",'\,

-l -';

dr

tllr
h

l.lvl I dr (lhl ltlrl l- l= 12 -+-l<21-l+l-lh

lvl l,

l- Irl

ltlhl

lr,

l(0.02) l().04)=0.0tt

ThuS,themaximumpercentageerrorinyiSappIoXimately87'.<