Elementary Applications of FirstOrder, First Degree

Ordinary Differential Equations

Newtons Law of Cooling

Newtons Law of Cooling states that the rate of change of the temperature of the body is proportional
to the temperature difference between the body and its surrounding medium.

( )

= ( )


where
= time rate of change of the temperature of the body

T = variable temperature of the body

Ts = constant temperature of the surrounding medium
k = constant of proportionality
t = time

Examples:

1. A body with a temperature of 95C is immersed in a liquid that is kept at a constant temperature
of 20C. After 5 minutes, the temperature of the body decreased to 60C.
a. Express the temperature of the body at any time t.
b. What will be the temperature of the body after 7 minutes?
c. Find the time it will take for the temperature of the body to decrease to 35C.

2. A thermometer reading 18F is brought into a room where the temperature is 70F, 1 min later,
the thermometer reading is 31F.
a. Determine the temperature reading as a function of time.
b. Find the temperature reading 5 mins after the temperature is first brought into the room.

3. At 9 A.M., a thermometer reading 70F is taken outdoors where the temperature is 15F at 9:05
A.M., the thermometer reading is 45F. At 9:10 A.M., the thermometer is taken back indoors
where the temperature is fixed at 70F.
a. Find the reading at 9:20 AM
b. When will the reading, to the nearest degree, return back to its indoor temperature (70F)?
 Elementary Applications of FirstOrder, First Degree
Ordinary Differential Equations

Law of Exponential Change: Growth and Decay

In a physical world, there are elements/ objects which continuously undergo changes. Bacteria for
example, increases its count with time, while radioactive elements decrease its strength or energy as time
increases.

The time rate of change of this amount of substance, is proportional to the amount of substance at
any instant.




=

When k > 0: Change is known as growth

When k < 0: Change is called decay

where = time rate of change of this amount of substance

x = amount of substance at any instant
k = constant of proportionality
t = time

Examples:

1. A certain radioactive element has a half-life of 38 hours.

a. How long it takes for 90% of the radioactivity of the element to be dissipated?
b. Find the percentage of radioactivity that remains after 76 hours.
Note: Half-life of an element is the time required for 50% of radioactivity to be dissipated.

2. The rate of change of the male population of a particular barangay is proportional to the male
population to the male population at any time. If the present male population of the barangay is 30,000
and ten years ago, there were 20,000 males in the barangay,
a. When will the population double its present count?
b. How many males were there 4 years ago?

3. A bacterial population B is known to have a rate of growth proportional to B itself. If between noon
and 2:00 PM the population triples.
a. At what time would the population become 100 times what it was at noon?
b. At 10:00 AM, what was the percentage of the bacterial population in terms of the population at
noon?

4. Radium decomposes at rate proportional to the radium present. Suppose that it is found that in 25
years approximately 1.1% of a certain quantity of radium has decomposed. Determine approximately
how long it will take for one-half the original amount of radium to decompose.
 Elementary Applications of FirstOrder, First Degree
Ordinary Differential Equations

Mixing Problems

Given: A chemical solution or mixture whose volume at time, t = 0 is known, together with the amount (in
weight) of a particular substance present in the solution or mixture.

Ri, Ci

A1, V1

Ro, Co
Condition: The solution containing the particular substance, runs into the given solution and the resulting
mixture, kept uniform by stirring, runs out of the tank.

Problem: The determination of the amount of the particular substance in the resulting mixture at any time.

Solution: For this chemical process, the basic equation in differential form is,

=


=

Where:
A = Amount (in weight) of the particular substance or chemical that is dissolved in the solution, varies
with time

= Rate of change of amount A with respect to time

Ri = Fluid inflow rate (volume per unit time)

Ro = Fluid outflow rate (volume per unit time)
V1 = Initial volume of given solution
A1 = Amount of particular substance in solution at initial condition
Ci = Concentration of the particular substance in the incoming solution (weight per unit vol.)
Co = Concentration of the particular substance in the outgoing solution (weight per unit vol.)
Note:
At any time (t), the value of C is

= = + ( )

Where: V is the volume of resulting mixture at any instant

Examples:
1. A tank contains 1000L of fluid and 15kg dissolved salt. Fresh water enters at 10L/min and the tank is draining
at 10L/min.

a. How much salt is in the tank at t minutes and after 20 minutes?

b. Find also the time at which the mixture in the tank contains 20 kg of salt.
c. Determine also the limiting value for the amount of salt in tank for a long time.

2. A tank contains 100 L of brine holding 60 kg of salt in solution. Brine containing 1 kg of salt per liter flows into
the tank at the rate of 2L/min and the mixture kept uniform by stirring, runs out at the rate of 3 L/min.

a. What is the initial concentration of salt in the solution in kg/liter?

b. What is the volume of the solution in the tank after 1 hour?
c. Find the amount of salt at the end of 1 hour?

3. A tank contains 200 gal of fresh water. Brine containing 2.50 lb/gal of dissolved salt runs into the tank at the
rate of 8 gal/min and the mixture kept uniform by stirring runs out at 4 gal/min.

a. Find the amount of salt when the tank contains 240 gal of brine.
b. The concentration of salt in the tank after 25 minutes amounts to how much?

4. A tank contains 400 liters of brine. Twelve (12) L of brine, each containing 2.50 kg of dissolved salt enter the
tank per minute and the mixture, kept uniform by stirring, leaves at the rate of 8 liters per minute. If the
concentration is to be 2.00 N per liter at the end of one (1) hour, how many kg of salt were originally present in
the tank?