Problem 12.43 Alligators and other reptiles don\'t use enough metabolic energy t
ID: 1297462 • Letter: P
Question
Problem 12.43 Alligators and other reptiles don't use enough metabolic energy to keep their body temperatures constant. They cool off at night and must warm up in the sun in the morning. Suppose a 300 kg alligator with an early-morning body temperature of 26 Degree C is absorbing radiation from the sun at a rate of 1200 W. Figure 1) Part. A How long will the alligator need to warm up to a more favorable 30 Degree C? (Assume that the specific heat of the reptilian body is the same as that of the mammalian body.) Delta t =Explanation / Answer
Heat required
Q = m c ( T_f - T _i )
power
P = Q / t
= m c ( T_f - T _i ) / t
t = m c ( T_f - T _i ) / P
= ( 300 kg ) ( 3470 J / Kg .C ) ( 30 - 25 ) / 1200 W
= 4337.5 s
= 72.29 min