Find the quantity Q(t) of salt in the tank?

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SUMMARY

The problem involves a tank initially containing 40 gallons of pure water, into which a solution with a concentration of 1 gram of salt per gallon is added at a rate of 3 gallons per minute. The solution drains out at the same rate, leading to a dynamic situation where the quantity of salt, Q(t), changes over time. To solve this, one must set up a differential equation based on the rates of salt entering and leaving the tank, considering the concentration of salt in the well-mixed solution.

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Homework Statement


A tank initially contains 40 gallons of pure water. A solution with 1 gram of salt per gallon of water is added to the tank at 3 gal/min, and the resulting solution dranes out at the same rate. Find the quantity Q(t) of salt in the tank at time t>0.

Homework Equations


None.

The Attempt at a Solution


I don't know how to set up the differential equation for this problem.
 
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Let V be the volume of liquid in the tank in gal, q be the rate at which liquid is entering (and leaving) the tank in gal/min, and C(t) be the concentration of salt within the tank in gm/gal at time t. Based on this, at time t, how much salt is in the tank? If the tank is well mixed, what is the rate that salt is leaving the tank? What is the rate that salt is entering the tank? Write a balance of input - output = rate of accumulation.

Chet
 

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