Question:

Have you heard about the lady who sued McDonalds when she spilt coffee on herself and was
badly scalded? How hot should a hot drink be when you buy it?

Intro:
Research
Find answers to these questions:
What temperature is considered scalding (hot enough to burn flesh)?
o 140 degrees Fahrenheit
At what temperature is it safe enough to take the first sip of your hot drink?
o 130 degrees Fahrenheit
After your hot drink is poured, how much time would you be willing to wait before taking
your first sip?
o 5-10 minutes or so generally
Part A:
What kind of mathematical model best represents the relationship between time and temperature?
Is the function linear, absolute value, quadratic, square root , exponential or logarithmic?

Collect data from the video! You must collect at least ten data points.
200f- 0sec
190f- 33sec
180f- 2min 12sec
170f- 4min 20sec
160f- 7min 22sec
150f- 11min 0sec
140f- 15min 58sec
130f- 21min 30sec
120f- 29min 22sec
Graph the data and decide what type of parent function would best fit the data. Explain your
reasoning.

f(x)= root(x)
I chose this because the data clearly shows an initial rapid decline, which slows down almost to a
halt by the time it reaches 120. This is evident in how it goes from 200 to 190 degrees in 33 seconds,
but takes almost 8 minutes to go from 130 to 120 degrees. Therefore, the best function to show this,
in my opinion, would be an inverse square root function with an intercept of 200.
Now use your knowledge of transformations to find a function that would fit the data. Graph it and
comment on its accuracy.
f(x)= -1.740776559557root(x) + 200
Would any other functions be a better model? How do you know?
Most probably not, because the most effective parent function to show a declining decrease remains
an x-reflected square root function, and the coefficient that we devised is the result of testing all
sets of points and deriving a mean, and this slope almost perfectly represents 190 and 180 degrees.
Its not quite linear, as the slope fluctuates at a relatively constant rate as stated above, and thus a
square root function would be best.
Part B: Using your TI
Enter the data onto your TI and find the best possible regression curve for your data.
f(x)= -1.740776559557root(x) + 200
New: f(x)= -1.87303040843root(x) + 200
Input: 33, Output: 189.24, Proper output: 190
Input: 260, Output: 169.80, Proper output: 170
Input: 958, Output: 142.03, Proper output: 140
How could you compare different graphs and decide which one is the best fit?
Take coefficients from different data points and average coefficients, and then compare various
graphs using different coefficients (as seen in the New one)
Part C: Conclusion
Use the graphs and data you have collected to find answers to the following questions. Justify
your answers.
What temperature is considered scalding (hot enough to burn flesh)
At what temperature is it safe enough to take the first sip of your hot drink?
After your hot drink is poured, how much time would you be willing to wait before taking
your first sip?
ANSWERED ALL THESE ABOVE
How would you change your model to take into account the following:
Change in environment
o As we only have one data collection point with no clear given temperature, and
besides that no other temperature trials and thus no idea how varying atmospheric
temperatures impact cooling rates, we would simply have to redo the experiment in
the different environment, though it can be assumed that in a colder atmosphere,
the hot water will cool faster
An espresso coffee from an espresso machine
o Again, the experiment would have to be redone as stated above for optimal results,
as we have no idea how the nature of the hot fluid affects cooling time, though it
may take longer, as the thicker fluid would probably trap heat
Different types of coffee cups
o Same as above, but a cup with a larger diameter may cool faster due to more of the
water being exposed to the environment
Choose one of these changes, and develop a new model.
If the atmosphere in which the hot water was placed was a certain amount cooler, the coefficient
may be increased:
G(x) = -2root(x) + 200
The coefficient would be increased because according to my logic, a colder atmosphere would result
in a faster cooling time, which can be represented by a higher coefficient.
Part D: How did you do?
Reflection:
The equation provided, as seen in Part B, has results very close to the true values. The cooling itself
is very difficult to represent in a single, non-variable induced coefficient, thus the coefficient that
was found is possibly the most accurate possible. The shape, as seen, closely represents that of what
the true graph would be, as the cooling rate decreased over time, producing an inverse parabola as
seen in an x-axis reflected square root function with a y-intercept of 200 to represent the starting
temperature. In conjunction with the known scalding and safe to drink temperatures, this function
allows for a fairly accurate judgement as to how long one should wait before taking their first sip. All
one would have to do is plug in the desired temperature for the y value and solve. It also shows how
hot a drink would be after a certain amount of time. All one would have to do to is plug in the time
for the x value, and the temperature should come out as y. Ultimately, though, the video which did
not have any information about the environment and had a largely inaccurate thermometer which
could not be read with precision was the main aspect that hurt this investigation. Because of this,
our data collection to begin with was almost certainly flawed, and we cannot even say at what
temperature this particular equation even applies. It would have been better to do our own data
collection.
We are looking at three main skills:
Investigating Patterns
Communicating Mathematically
Justifying your results
Use the criteria below to give yourself a rating and send it to me!



Investigating Patterns

Level
Descriptors
Evidence from your work

i
n
v
e
s
t
i
g
a
t
i
n
g

p
a
t
t
e
r
n
s

7 8
The student selects and applies mathematical
problem-solving techniques to recognize
patterns, describes them as relationships or
general rules, draws the correct conclusions
consistent with the correct findings, and
provides justifications or a proof.
I chose this because the data clearly shows an
initial rapid decline, which slows down almost to
a halt by the time it reaches 120. This is evident
in how it goes from 200 to 190 degrees in 33
seconds, but takes almost 8 minutes to go from
130 to 120 degrees. Therefore, the best function
to show this, in my opinion, would be an inverse
square root function with an intercept of 200.

5 6
The student selects and applies mathematical
problem-solving techniques to recognize
patterns, describes them as relationships or
general rules, and draws conclusions
consistent with findings.

3 4
The student applies mathematical problem-
solving techniques to recognize patterns, and
suggests relationships or general rules.

1 2
The student applies, with some guidance,
mathematical problem-solving techniques to
recognize simple patterns.

0
The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors given above.



Communication in mathematics


Level
Descriptors
Evidence from your work

c
o
m
m
u
n
i
c
a
t
i
o
n

i
n

m
a
t
h
e
m
a
t
i
c
s

5 6
The student shows good use of mathematical
language and forms of mathematical
representation. The lines of reasoning are
concise, logical and complete. The student
moves effectively between different forms of
representation.

3 4
The student shows sufficient use of
mathematical and forms of mathematical
representation. The lines of reasoning are clear
though not always logical or complete. The
student moves between different forms of
representation with some success.
Most probably not, because the most effective
parent function to show a declining decrease
remains an x-reflected square root function, and
the coefficient that we devised is the result of
testing all sets of points and deriving a mean,
and this slope almost perfectly represents 190
and 180 degrees. Its not quite linear, as the
slope fluctuates at a relatively constant rate as
stated above, and thus a square root function
would be best.

1 2
The student shows basic use of mathematical
language and/or forms of mathematical
representation. The lines of reasoning are
difficult to follow.

0
The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors given above.


Reflection in mathematics

Level
Descriptors Evidence from your work

r
e
f
l
e
c
t
i
o
n

i
n

m
a
t
h
e
m
a
t
i
c
s

5 6
The student critically explains whether his or
her results make sense in the context of the
problem. The student provides a detailed
explanation of the importance of his or her
findings in connection to real life where
appropriate. The student justifies the degree of
accuracy of his or her results where appropriate.
The student suggests improvements to his or her
method where appropriate
The reflection details all of this
3 4
The student correctly but briefly explains
whether his or her results make sense in the
context of the problem.
The student describes the importance of his or
her findings in connection to real life where
appropriate. The student attempts to justify the
degree of accuracy of his or her results where
appropriate.

1 2
The student attempts to explain whether his or
her results make sense in the context of the
problem. The student attempts to describe the
importance of his or her findings in connection to
real life where appropriate

0
The student does not reach a standard
described by any of the descriptors given above.