Dead bodies - exponential decay

[jackscholar]

Homework Statement

A body is found at 2:00pm at a temperature of 26°C, with a surrounding temperature of 18°C.
Two hours later the temperature of the body is 21°C, when did the body die?
T=Ae^(kt)+Ts
where T is the temperature of the body
A is the initial temperature
k is a constant
t is time in minutes
Ts is the surrounding temperature
In order to do this assumed at t=0 the body would be 37°C because that is roughly a persons body temperature before death. When I substituted that in though I couldn't get k. How do I get k? Do I need any assumptions? Am I allowed to find k by doing the following
21=26e^(120k)+18 and re-arrange from there?

 

[Sunil Simha]

In order to do this assumed at t=0 the body would be 37°C because that is roughly a persons body temperature before death. When I substituted that in though I couldn't get k. How do I get k? Do I need any assumptions? Am I allowed to find k by doing the following
21=26e^(120k)+18 and re-arrange from there?

You did identify A to be the initial temperature. So is 26⁰C really the initial temperature?

 

[jackscholar]

I guess not, so how do I go about it then? Substitute in 37°C for the initial,
T=37e^(kt)+18, and if we let T=26 then
26=37e^(kt)+18? Then I can't find k or t, so It'd have to be
21=37e^(120k)+18
re-arrange to find k, but then that defeats the purpose of the other temperature given.

 

[Mentallic]

You have two equations:

26 = 37e^{kt_1}+18

and

21 = 37e^{kt_2}+18

What is the relationship between t₁ and t₂? In other words, t_2=t_1+?
Once you find this, you'll have two equations in two unknowns.

 

[jackscholar]

Does it have anything to do with the 2 hours that had passed? Like t2=t1+120? or do we make the subject of both equations t and find it from there?

 

[epenguin]

Yes you can combine those two last equations - do something obvious. I hope it's clear to you that representing as you have, if time is going forward k is a negative number. (Don't know where you got equation from but it is more usual to write as e^-kt with k a positive number.) You will have to recall or revise how to combine terms with indices, and natural logarithms.

 

[Sunil Simha]

Does it have anything to do with the 2 hours that had passed? Like t2=t1+120?

You're on the right track

 

[Mentallic]

Does it have anything to do with the 2 hours that had passed? Like t2=t1+120? or do we make the subject of both equations t and find it from there?

You're right, t₂=t₁+120 where t is measured in minutes, but I'd stick to hours so you have t₂=t₁+2.
Now, if you replace t₂ by that expression then you'll have two equations and two unknowns, mainly k and t₁. You're looking to find t₁ since that represents the time (in hours or minutes, depending on the units you used) before 2:00pm.

And yes, begin by making the subject of both equations t₁ so that you can find k by equating each equation.

In other words,

t_1 = f_1(k)

t_1 = f_2(k)

Then

f_1(k)=f_2(k)

And you can solve k here. Once that's done, just plug k into either f₁ or f₂ (depending on which you think might be easier to simplify) to find t₁