Home › NY Regents Algebra II › Mathematics › Exponential and Logarithmic Models › In Newton's Law of Cooling, what does the consta…
In Newton's Law of Cooling, what does the constant Ts stand for?
AThe starting object temperature
BThe surrounding air temperature
CThe continuous rate of cooling
DThe temperature after one hour
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. The surrounding air temperature
1. A cooling object levels off at the temperature of the air around it.
2. That levelling off is a horizontal asymptote in the model, and its height is Ts.
3. So Ts is the surrounding air temperature.
4. The starting difference between object and air is the constant A, not Ts.
_Source: OpenStax Precalculus (CC BY 4.0), section 4.7 Exponential and Logarithmic Models_