A dead body is discovered at 8:00 A.M.on Tuesday in a basement where the air temperature is $60 ^ { \circ } \mathrm { F }$ The temperature of the body at the time of discovery is $72 ^ { \circ } \mathrm { F }$ and 20 minutes later,the temperature is $71 ^ { \circ } \mathrm { F }$ The time of death was 6:00 A.M.on Tuesday.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The body temperature is decreasing at a constant rate, so the time of death can be estimated using the formula:Time of death = Time of discovery - (Body temperature at discovery - Air temperature) / Rate of coolingThe rate of cooling is (72 - 71) / 20 = 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit per minute.Therefore, the time of death is 8:00 AM - (72 - 60) / 0.5 = 6:00 AM.

A Dead Body Is Discovered at 8:00 A 60∘F60 ^ { \circ } \mathrm { F }60∘F

A Dead Body Is Discovered at 8:00 A $60 ^ { \circ } \mathrm { F }$