If the temperature difference DT between an object and it surroundings is not too great, the rate of cooling or warming obeys Newton’s Law of Cooling,
d(DT)/dt = – K DT
where K is a constant. (a) Why is there a minus sign on the right-hand side of the equation? (b) On what factors does K depend and what are its units? (c) It DTo is the temperature difference at time to, what is the temperature difference at time t later? (d) A medical examiner is called to a crime scene where a murder has occurred. Upon arriving at 1 AM the examiner measures the body temperature to be 79o F. An hour later the examiner measures the body temperature to be 77.5o F. A detective tells the examiner that the read-out on the computer controlled thermostat in the room shows that the temperature in the room has remained constant at a 70o F for the past two days. The detective asks the examiner for the time of death. What time does the examiner tell the detective?
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