Rate of cooling given a direction and speed

In summary, Captain Ralph, who is in trouble near the sunny side of Mercury, needs to go in the direction of the negative gradient (2e^-6, 4e^-6, 5e^-6) to cool the fastest. If the ship can travel at a speed of e^8, the rate of cooling would be given by multiplying the gradient by the speed.
  • #1
explorer58
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Homework Statement


Captain Ralph is in trouble near the sunny side of Mercury.
The temperature of the ship's hull when he is at location (x; y; z) will be given by T=e^(-x²-2y²-3z²). He is currently at (1,1,1).
a)In which direction should Ralph go to cool the fastest?

b) If the ship can travel at a speed of e^8, what will be the rate of cooling?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution


a) The direction he should go would be the negative of the gradient, which I got to be (2e^-6, 4e^-6, 5e^-6). Easy.

b) Here's where I got lost. the answers online (source http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~marsden/wiki/uploads/math1c-08/assignments/homework_sol3.pdf) say just take the gradient and multiply it by the speed. My question is, shouldn't we need to take a unit vector in the direction of the gradient?
 
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  • #2
Given a curve ##\vec R(t) = \langle x(t),y(t),z(t)\rangle## and temperature ##T(x,y,z)## you want to use the chain rule to calculate the rate of change of ##T##:$$
\frac{dT}{dt} = T_x\frac {dx}{dt} +T_y\frac{dy}{dt}+T_z\frac {dz}{dt}
=\nabla T\cdot \vec R'(t)$$
 

Related to Rate of cooling given a direction and speed

1. What factors affect the rate of cooling given a direction and speed?

The rate of cooling can be affected by several factors, such as the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings, the surface area of the object, and the type of material the object is made of. The direction and speed of the cooling air or fluid can also play a role.

2. How does the direction of cooling affect the rate of cooling?

The direction of cooling can affect the rate at which an object loses heat. For example, if a hot object is placed in an area with cool air blowing directly onto it, the rate of cooling will be faster compared to if the cool air is only circulating around the object.

3. Does the speed of cooling have an impact on the overall rate of cooling?

Yes, the speed of cooling can greatly impact the rate at which an object cools down. The faster the cooling, the quicker the object will lose heat. This is why blowing on hot soup or using a fan to cool down a room can be effective methods of cooling.

4. Can the rate of cooling be calculated?

Yes, the rate of cooling can be calculated by using the formula Q/t = kA(ΔT/Δx), where Q is the amount of heat lost, t is the time it takes to lose that heat, k is the thermal conductivity of the material, A is the surface area of the object, ΔT is the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings, and Δx is the distance the heat is traveling.

5. How can the rate of cooling be controlled?

The rate of cooling can be controlled by adjusting the factors that affect it. For example, if you want an object to cool down slower, you can decrease the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings, increase the surface area of the object, or decrease the speed of the cooling air or fluid. Alternatively, if you want an object to cool down faster, you can do the opposite of these actions.

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