OCR MEI Paper 1 2021 November — Question 11

Exam BoardOCR MEI
ModulePaper 1 (Paper 1)
Year2021
SessionNovember
TopicDifferential equations

11 A balloon is being inflated. The balloon is modelled as a sphere with radius \(x \mathrm {~cm}\) at time \(t \mathrm {~s}\). The volume \(V \mathrm {~cm} ^ { 3 }\) is given by \(\mathrm { V } = \frac { 4 } { 3 } \pi \mathrm { x } ^ { 3 }\). The rate of increase of volume is inversely proportional to the radius of the balloon. Initially, when \(t = 0\), the radius of the balloon is 5 cm and the volume of the balloon is increasing at a rate of \(21 \mathrm {~cm} ^ { 3 } \mathrm {~s} ^ { - 1 }\).
  1. Show that \(x\) satisfies the differential equation \(\frac { \mathrm { dx } } { \mathrm { dt } } = \frac { 105 } { 4 \pi \mathrm { x } ^ { 3 } }\).
  2. Find the radius of the balloon after two minutes.
  3. Explain why the model may not be suitable for very large values of \(t\).