Finding concentration of an incoming solution

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a tank containing pure water into which brine with an unknown concentration is flowing. The task is to determine the concentration of salt in the incoming brine after a specified time, given the amount of salt remaining in the tank.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the setup of a differential equation to model the amount of salt in the tank over time. Questions arise regarding the relationship between the quantity of salt in the tank and the concentration of the outgoing solution, particularly in the context of the tank being well mixed.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on correcting misunderstandings about the outgoing concentration. A participant has derived a differential equation and proposed a solution method, while others have confirmed the correctness of the approach without reaching a consensus on the final concentration.

Contextual Notes

There is an emphasis on ensuring the correct interpretation of the concentrations involved, particularly distinguishing between the amount of salt and its concentration in the outgoing solution. The discussion reflects a collaborative effort to clarify these concepts.

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Homework Statement



A tank holds 10 L of pure water. Brine (unknown constant concentration) is flowing into the tank at 1 L/min. The water is mixed well and drained at 1 L/min. After 20 min, there are 15 g of salt left in the tank. What is the concentration of the salt in the incoming brine?

Homework Equations



The Attempt at a Solution



Let A(t) = amount of salt (g) at time t (min).
I can see that A(20) = 15, but I'm confused on how I should set up the diff eq.

I know that A'(t) = (concentration of incoming * rate of incoming) - (concentration of outgoing * rate of outgoing)

I let
r = concentration of incoming
s = concentration of outgoing​
so I think that gives me
##\dfrac{dA}{dt} = (r \frac{g}{L})(1 \frac{L}{min}) - (\frac{1}{10} s \frac{g}{L})(1 \frac{L}{min})##

##\dfrac{dA}{dt} = r - \frac{1}{10} s##

But then I've no idea where to go from here.
 
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Why are you dividing the concentration of outgoing by 10?
How is the quantity of salt in the tank, A, related to the outgoing concentration, given that it's well mixed?
 
haruspex said:
Why are you dividing the concentration of outgoing by 10?
How is the quantity of salt in the tank, A, related to the outgoing concentration, given that it's well mixed?
Well, the concentration of the solution in the tank at any point would be (amount of salt in tank)/(volume of tank), so I figure the concentration of the outgoing solution ##s## at any given time will be ##\frac{A}{10}##. Looks like I'd mistaken ##s## for ##A##. Is that it? Thanks for the reply
 
SithsNGiggles said:
Looks like I'd mistaken ##s## for ##A##. Is that it?
Yes, that's what it looked like.
 
Ah, okay, thanks for that.

So I've got the equation
##\dfrac{dA}{dt} + \frac{1}{10}A = r##, which gives me the general solution
##A = 10x + Ce^{-\frac{1}{10}t}##.

Using A(0) = 0,
##0 = 10x + C##,
##C = -10x##.

Using A(20) = 15,
##15 = 10x - 10x e^{-2}##
##x = \dfrac{15}{10(1-e^{-2})}##
##x \approx 1.735 \frac{g}{L}##.

Can someone check my work on that? I'd hate to make another mistake. Thanks!
 
Looks right to me.
 

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