Rule of thumb · Physics SimulationNº 67 / 96

Cooling closes the gap in equal fractions

Cooling has a half-life: each equal time-slice closes the same fraction of the temperature gap.

Why it works

Newton’s law of cooling is exponential. If a drink covers half the gap to fridge temperature in 15 minutes, it covers half the remainder in the next 15.

Do it exactly

Estimate with the rule, then check it against the calculator that models it properly.

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