CASE STUDY CHALLENGE

Newton’s Law of Cooling: Laptop Processor

During a heavy gaming session, the temperature of a laptop processor increases significantly. After the session, it cools at a rate proportional to the difference between the processor’s temperature and the room temperature (25°C).

Laptop Cooling Visualization

 

Initially, the processor’s temperature is 85°C. The rate of cooling is defined by the differential equation:

\[ \frac{d}{dt} T(t) = -k(T(t) – 25) \]

Where \( T(t) \) is the temperature at time \( t \) and \( k \) is a constant.

Answer the following:

(i) Find the expression for \( T(t) \), given that \( T(0) = 85^\circ \)C. [2 Marks]
(ii) How long will it take for the temperature to reach \( 40^\circ \)C? (Given \( k = 0.03 \), \( \log_{e} 4 = 1.3863 \)). [2 Marks]