Question

At 10:07 P.M. you find a secret agent murdered. Next to her is a martini that got shaken before the secret agent could stir it. The room temperature is 70◦F. The martini warms from 60◦F to 61◦F in the 2 minutes from 10:07 P.M. to 10:09 P.M. If the secret agent’s martinis are always served at 40◦F, what was her time of death, to the nearest minute?

Answer 1

Answer:

Her time of death was 9:27 P.M.

Explanation:

Since the martini warmed from 60°F to 61°F in 2 minutes,

Therefore, it takes 2 minutes for the temperature to rise by 1°F.

At 10:07 P.M. (when the secret agent was found dead), the temperature of the martini was 60°F.

Martini's are served at 40°F.

Temperature change of the martini from when it was served to when the agent was murdered = 60 - 40 =20°F

If 1°F = 2 minutes,

then 20°F = 40 minutes.

40 minutes before 10:07 P.M is 9:27 P.M.

Therefore the agent was murdered around 9.27 P.M.