Final answer:
The rate at which the length of the hypotenuse is increasing at the given instant is 48sqrt(2)/c centimeters per second.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the rate at which the length of the hypotenuse is increasing, we need to use the formula for the area of a triangle. In this case, the area of the triangle is given by A = 1/2s^2. We are given that the area is increasing at a rate of 12 square centimeters per second when s = sqrt(32) centimeters.
We can differentiate the equation A = 1/2s^2 with respect to time to find the rate of change of the area:
dA/dt = 2(1/2)s(ds/dt)
Substituting the given values, we have:
12 = 2(1/2)s(ds/dt)
12 = s(ds/dt)
Now we can find the rate at which the length of the hypotenuse is increasing by differentiating the Pythagorean theorem, which relates the lengths of the legs and the hypotenuse:
c^2 = a^2 + b^2
Taking the derivative with respect to time, we get:
2c(dc/dt) = 2a(da/dt) + 2b(db/dt)
Since this is an isosceles right triangle, a = b = s, and the derivative of s with respect to time is ds/dt. Substituting these values and the known values of s and ds/dt, we can solve for dc/dt:
2c(dc/dt) = 2s(ds/dt) + 2s(ds/dt)
2c(dc/dt) = 4s(ds/dt)
dc/dt = 2s(ds/dt)/c
Substituting the values, we have:
dc/dt = 2(sqrt(32))(12)/c
dc/dt = 48sqrt(2)/c centimeters per second