What am I doing wrong in solving 28/68=b^14 for b?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around solving the equation 28/68=b^14 for b, exploring various methods and interpretations related to exponential functions and Newton's law of cooling. Participants express confusion over the correct approach and calculations involved.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Homework-related
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest simplifying 28/68 to approximately 0.41176 and then taking the (1/14)th power to solve for b, rather than raising it to the 14th power.
  • One participant mentions a professor's instruction to avoid graphing for the final part of the problem and instead use exponential methods to find a specific temperature.
  • Another participant raises a related problem involving temperature changes over time, expressing difficulty in applying the same principles without graphing.
  • One participant proposes using logarithms to solve the original equation, indicating an alternative method to approach the problem.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the best method to solve the problems presented. There are multiple competing views on how to approach the calculations and interpretations of the equations.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their calculations and the application of concepts like logarithms and exponential functions. There are unresolved questions regarding the specific temperatures and time frames mentioned in the problems.

Who May Find This Useful

Students studying exponential functions, Newton's law of cooling, or those seeking to understand different methods for solving equations involving powers and logarithms.

goosey00
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The problem is 28/68=b^14 and I need to solve for b. I get .41176^14 which is not the right answer(which is .93859) What am I doing wrong?
 
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goosey00 said:
The problem is 28/68=b^14 and I need to solve for b. I get .41176^14 which is not the right answer(which is .93859) What am I doing wrong?

Hi goosey. First you simplify 28/68 which is about .41176. Then you must take that to the (1/14)th power, not to the 14th power. That's because opposites cancel each other out in a way.

If you have something squared and you take the square-root of it, the two things cancel and you just get the original number. [math]\sqrt{5^2}=5[/math]

When working with higher powers, we you can use the reciprocal exponents to cancel out things. For the tenth power, [math]\left( 4^{10} \right) ^\frac{1}{10} = 4[/math]

In our problem we have [math].41176=b^{14}[/math] and we want to find "b". So if we take both sides to the (1/14) power then the right side will simplify nicely.

[math].41176^{\frac{1}{14}}=\left( b^{14} \right) ^\frac{1}{14}[/math]

[math].41176^{\frac{1}{14}}=b[/math]
 
got it now. Ok, so the last part of this question my professor said do not find the solution as the book says by graphing. The final part of the problem is take f(t)=22+68(.93859)^t. He said to do it the way we learned through exponential and the answer is 21. Again, I must be off since I am not getting it right. The whole problem is taking Newtons law to find different temps. at different room temperatures.
 
goosey00 said:
got it now. Ok, so the last part of this question my professor said do not find the solution as the book says by graphing. The final part of the problem is take f(t)=22+68(.93859)^t. He said to do it the way we learned through exponential and the answer is 21. Again, I must be off since I am not getting it right. The whole problem is taking Newtons law to find different temps. at different room temperatures.

f(t) represents a temperature after time "t", but we don't know what temperature we're looking for. We need to have a temperature before we can find at what time it reaches that temperature.
 
93 to 60 after 13 min in a room of 25 degrees. how long before it gets to 40 degrees. Although this is a different problem I am stuck at the same point. so far I have .49295 (1/13) which I got .94704. Now what is it do I do now w/out graphing to get it?
 
goosey00 said:
93 to 60 after 13 min in a room of 25 degrees. how long before it gets to 40 degrees. Although this is a different problem I am stuck at the same point. so far I have .49295 (1/13) which I got .94704. Now what is it do I do now w/out graphing to get it?

Hi goosey00, :)

Can you please clarify a bit more goosey. You have the equation, \(f(t)=22+68(.93859)^t\) where \(f(t)\) represents the temperature and \(t\) the time required to reach that temperature. What do you mean by,

goosey00 said:
93 to 60 after 13 min in a room of 25 degrees.

And how did you obtain, \(.49295^\frac{1}{13}\) ?
 
Before I get even more confusing, Ill just post the last part on my teachers blog. Thanks for the response. I really appreciate it.
 
Another way to solve the original problem is to take the logarithm of both sides and use the properties of logarithms to simplify.
 

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