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Problem 3 modelling ​

Food safety precautions state that, when a certain food is being reheated, it should either:

  • reach a temperature of above 75∘C for at least 30 seconds

  • or, reach a maximum core temperature of at least 80∘C

in order to make it safe to eat.

An industrial kitchen models a reheating process using the formula

T=45+2t−132t2,0≤t

where T is the core temperature of the food product, and t is time in seconds.

  1. Determine whether this process should be considered safe, or whether the process needs to be altered, explaining your answer.

  2. Let δ equal the duration for which the temperature of the product is above 75∘C, and let the maximum temperature of the product be θ.

Give the value of δθ.

Hint

To see if the first criterion is satisfied, we are interested in solving the inequality

45+2t−132t2>75
Hint

To see if the second criterion is satisfied, we need to find the maximum value of

T=45+2t−132t2

We can do this by completing the square, or by considering the symmetry of the parabola.

Solution

To see if the first criterion is satisfied, we are interested in solving the inequality

45+2t−132t2>75

We find the roots first

45+2t−132t2=75−132t2+2t−30=0t2−64t+960=0(t−24)(t−40)=0t∈{24,40}

Let's make a sketch:

rectangle

Looking at the sketch, we see that the temperature is above 75 for 40−24=16 seconds.

By symmetry, the maximum temperature would occur at the midpoint of 24 and 40, which is t=32, giving

T=45+2(32)−132(32)2=77

Since the duration above 75 is less than 30 seconds, and the maximum temperature is less than 80, the process is not considered safe and needs to be altered.