Question

The current temperature is 48\deg F. It is expected to drop 1.5\deg F each hour. Which equation can be used to find in how many hours, h, the temperature will be 36\deg F?

Answer 1

Let's start by defining some variables to represent the given information:

T0 = 48°F (the current temperature)

deltaT = -1.5°F/hour (the rate of change in temperature)

T = 36°F (the target temperature)

We want to find how many hours it will take for the temperature to drop from 48°F to 36°F, so let's call that time h. We can use the formula for the linear relationship between temperature and time:

T = T0 + deltaT * h

We want to solve for h when T = 36°F, so we can substitute the given values and solve for h:

36 = 48 + (-1.5) * h

-12 = -1.5h

h = 8

Therefore, it will take 8 hours for the temperature to drop from 48°F to 36°F, assuming the temperature continues to decrease at a rate of 1.5°F per hour.