"If a snowball melts so that its surface area decreases at a rate of 3 cm2/min, find the rate at which the diameter decreases when the diameter is 12 cm."

Intermediate Algebra
19th Edition
ISBN:9780998625720
Author:Lynn Marecek
Publisher:Lynn Marecek
Chapter10: Exponential And Logarithmic Functions
Section10.2: Evaluate And Graph Exponential Functions
Problem 10.33TI: Another researcher at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Lisa, is studying the growth of...
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"If a snowball melts so that its surface area decreases at a rate of 3 cm2/min, find the rate at which the diameter decreases when the diameter is 12 cm."

I started off with the surface area formula for a sphere, A = 4pi*r^2. I plugged in the diameter divided by 2 for r, radius, in the formula, since we are solving the rate of change of the melting diameter of the snowball with time. This simplifies to A= 4pi*(d^2/4) = pi*d^2. I took the derivative of this to get A'= pi2d(dd/dt). The given dA/dt was -3, so I plugged that into A' and solved for dd/dt, getting -3pi/24, which was incorrect, even when I took off the negative sign, or made it into decimal. Where am I messing something up here? Thanks

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