Two cups of tea at temperatures T1(t) and T2(t) cool in a room at ambient constant temperature T∞. Initially T1(0)=T2(0)=T0>T∞.
Cup 1 has cool milk added instantaneously at t=1 and then hot water added at a constant rate after t=2 which is modelled as follows
dtdT1=−a(T1−T∞)−δ(t−1)+H(t−2)
whereas cup 2 is left undisturbed and evolves as follows
dtdT2=−a(T2−T∞)
where δ(t) and H(t) are the Dirac delta and Heaviside functions respectively, and a is a positive constant.
(a) Derive expressions for T1(t) when 0<t⩽1 and for T2(t) when t>0.
(b) Show for 1<t<2 that
T1(t)=T∞+(T0−T∞−ea)e−at
(c) Derive an expression for T1(t) for t>2.
(d) At what time t∗ is T1=T2 ?
(e) Find how t∗ behaves for a→0 and explain your result.