Question

Researchers measured the average blood alcohol concentration C(t) of eight men starting one hour after consumption of 30 mL of ethanol (corresponding to two alcoholic drinks). (Round your answers to two decimal places.) t (hours) 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 C(t) (mg/mL) 0.33 0.22 0.16 0.1 0.09 (a) Find the average change of C with respect to t over each time interval. (i) [1.0, 2.0] (ii) [1.5, 2.0] (iii) [2.0, 2.5] (iv) [2.0, 3.0] (b) Estimate the instantaneous rate of change at t = 2. What are the units? h h mL/mg mL/mg h mg/mL h mg/mL mg/mL h

Answer 1

Answer:

a) Average change over each time interval: see below

b) Instantaneous rate of change at t = 2: - 0.12 mg/mL/h

   Units are: mg/mL/h or mg/(mL . h), they are equivalen.

Explanation:

• Table: Average blood alcohol concentration

         t (hours)         1.0       1.5         2.0      2.5      3.0

        C(t) (mg/mL)   0.33     0.22    0.16      0.1       0.09

a) Average rate of change:

• Formula: rate of change = [Change in C(t)] / [size of interval]

     Interval            Rate of change (mg/mL / h)

(i) [1.0, 1.5]              [0.22 - 0.33] / [1.5 - 1.0] = - 0.22

(ii) [1.5, 2.0]             [0.16 - 0.22] / [2.0 - 1.5] = - 0.12

(iii) [2.0, 2.5]           [0.1 - 0.16] / [2.5 - 2.0] = - 0.12

(iv) [2.0, 3.0]           [0.09 - 0.1] / [3.0 - 2.5] = - 0.02

b) Estimation of the instantaneous rate of change at t = 2.

• Since, the rate of change in the interval [1.5, 2.0] is equal to - 0.12 mg/mL /h and the rate of change in the interval [2.0, 2.5] is also equal to - 0.12 mg/mL/h, the best estimate for the instantaneous rate of change at t = 2 is the same value - 0.12 mg/ml/h.

• If the values were not equal, the best estimation would be the result of the interpolation which is a weighted average, for equal size intervals it is the equivalent to the average.

You obtain the units by dividing the units of the numerator (mg/mL) by the units of the denominator (h). This is how you obtain them:

• [Rate of change] = [Ct] / [t] = [mg/mL] / [h] = mg/mL/h = mg / (mL . h]

• You can write the units as mg/mL/h or mg/(mL . h). They are equivalent.