Centre No.

37747
2022-23
Leeds College of Building – University Centre
BTEC Nationals Construction and the Build Environment (2017)
Diploma, Extended Certificate, Extended Diploma, Foundation Diploma.
Construction and the Built Environment - Civil Engineering - Building Services Engineering
IQA: SIMON BRAY
Lead Writer: K Saggu

Unit 15: Further Mathematics in Construction.

Assignment 2 (of 3) – Calculus and numerical integration

Name .................................................................................................... Group..............................................

Issue date.................................... Submission date............................ Date handed in...............................

This assignment addresses the following learning aim:

B: Examine how calculus can be used to solve a construction problem.

Student Declaration
By submitting electronically I declare that I have read the guidelines on plagiarism and that all work being
presented for assessment is my own. I understand that plagiarism may result in disciplinary action being
taken against me. I confirm that I have referenced all the sources I have used in this Submission

Submission Guidelines
Only one submission is allowed for each assignment.
The decision to authorise a re-submission needs to be approved by the Lead Internal Verifier, not
by the tutor, and must meet the following conditions:
 The learner has met initial deadlines set or has met an agreed deadline extension.
 The tutor judges that the learner will be able to provide improved evidence without further
guidance.
 The assessor has authenticated the evidence submitted for assessment.

NB. If you do not submit on time, you will not be eligible to resubmit, if you have missing pass
criteria you cannot achieve the unit and therefore the Exam Board will have to consider your
situation at the end of the semester/year. At the Exam Board your overall performance on the
course will be considered and this may result in being given a resubmission with work capped at a
pass or asked to re-take the Unit(s) in the next academic year.

Criteria covered by this task:

Unit/Criteria
To achieve the criteria you must show that you are able to:
reference
Demonstrate, using simple differential calculus techniques, the solution for
B.P2 a given construction problem.

Demonstrate, using simple integral calculus techniques, the solution for a

B.P3 given construction problem.

Demonstrate, using simple numerical integration techniques, the solution

B.P4 for a given construction problem.

Demonstrate, using advanced differential calculus, solutions for each type of

B.M2 given routine function, for a given construction problem.

Demonstrate, using advanced integral calculus and numerical integration,

B.M3 the solution for a given construction problem.

Demonstrate, using complex differential and integral calculus techniques,

B.D2 the solution for a given construction problem, validating results achieved by
numerical integration.

Submission format:

All tasks: your written submission must be professionally presented including:

 Front title page

 Table of contents
 Introduction
 Discussion
 Conclusion
 Referencing & Bibliography

Headings need to be in Arial 12 Bold,

Main text needs to be in Arial 12 with minimum 1.5 line spacing.

Sketches and diagrams, tables, charts, articles etc. should also be used to support your text.

Calculations may be hand written but must be legible and included in the electronic submission, i.e.
scanned and included.

There are now word limits but your written work should not exceed 1500 words

Scenario

2
A multidisciplinary city development is to be completed. You are an apprentice civil
engineer in a design consultancy.

Your design engineer has asked you to work on some calculations for you to demonstrate
an understanding of how calculus analytical skills can be used to provide solutions to
construction problems.

1. A transition vertical curve shown below is to be designed for a road near the site:

3
The curve is modelled in a design package with the equation:

2
y=−0.005 x +0.5 x +1

For the setting out stations determine the slope at a location:

 When x = 0
 When x = 50 m

4
2. For setting out of the horizontal route shown below, the slope to estimate horizontal
curvature is needed:
 y=0.25 cos 2 x

5
 Determine the slope equation for the equation.

3. The flow profile of a weir near the site is to be analysed as shown, determine the
rate flow equation for:
y=0.25 sin2 x +ln(2 x )

4. For site layout and levelling activity the rise and fall for different parts are to be
assessed. Determine the slope of :

6
 5x
 y= 2
2 x +4

 y=3 √ x ln 2 x

 y=( 4 x 3−3 x )
6

56

7
5. A storage tank is to be assembled as part of water supply on site. This needs to be
an open rectangular storage water tank with square ends fitted with an overlapping
lid which covers the top and the front face.

Determine the maximum volume if 6m2 of metal are used in its design.

8
6. The volume of water flow is to be estimated as part of a pipe design, the cross
sectional area flow is to be modelled:

∫ ( 3−x 2 ) dx
a) Find the indefinite integral of the function

b) Calculate the area between x = -1 and x = 2 m.

9
7. As part of cut and fill activity on site, an equation is estimated as shown below:

∫ ( 4 cos 3 x ) dx

a) Find the indefinite integral of the function

b) Determine the cross sectional area between x=1 and x=2

10
8. The slope of a retaining structure is estimated as shown below:

2x
y=4 e

a) Find the indefinite integral of the function

b) Calculate the cross sectional volume per metre width between the limits x=1 to

x=2

11
9. The design of structural beams will need the analysis of dampening vibrations.
The indefinite integral for the below shown equations is needed:

−3
y=
2 x−1

¿θ
y=
θ

12
 10. Use numerical integration techniques to determine the area under for tasks 7 and
8 using each of the following approaches.
 Mid-ordinate rule
 Trapezium rule
 Simpson’s rule

State your comments for both results.

When using the mid-ordinate rule, trapezoidal rule and Simpson’s rule the answer I
consistently got was around the 0.8 SQunits this is 0.3 SQunits higher than what I got

13
using the applied techniques, to increase the accuracy I could increase the amount of
intervals used in the equation.

The answers given by the mid-ordinate rule, trapezoidal rule and Simpson’s rule are
around the 94.418 SQunits worked out applied techniques, Simpson’s rule is the most
accurate for estimating the area as this is the closest to the answer worked out by applied
techniques. It makes sense that the trapezoidal rule is an overestimate, because the
equation of the line is positive exponential when calculating the area using trapezoidal rule
there will be an overestimate.

14
 11. A part of a dome structure roof is to be modelled as part of a structure

This will need the evaluation of area between the equation y=2 x 2−x +1 the horizontal axis
and the ordinates x=−1 and x=2

Estimate the area using a different approach such as geometrical construction and
compare your results with the applied techniques.

15
Using the Desmos graphing calculator, I plugged in the equation for the line, then I set the
function and set the values for a and b, a being -1 and b being 2. The Desmos software
then can calculate the area under the curve to then workout to 7.5 SQunits which is the
same as when I workout the function using applied techniques.

Reference material: Books, Journals & Websites (Not exhaustive):

 E-book: Engineering Mathematics by John Bird, ISBN 978-0-7506-8555-9.

 Lecturers Notes – provided on ‘Blackboard’.
 Library books.
 Refer to the Blackboard for worked examples
 Websites
 Search Engine use.
 Appropriate mathematical websites.

16