A typical cup of tea contains about 25 milligrams (mg) of caffeine.

Every hour, approximately 3% of the amount of caffeine in the body is

metabolized and eliminated.

1 answer

To calculate the amount of caffeine remaining in the body after a certain period, you can use the formula for exponential decay, taking into account the rate of metabolism (in this case, 3% per hour).

The formula for the remaining amount of caffeine after \( t \) hours can be expressed as:

\[ C(t) = C_0 \times (1 - r)^t \]

Where:

  • \( C(t) \) is the amount of caffeine remaining after \( t \) hours.
  • \( C_0 \) is the initial amount of caffeine (25 mg in this case).
  • \( r \) is the decay rate per hour (3%, or 0.03 as a decimal).
  • \( t \) is the time in hours.

Example Calculations

  1. After 1 hour: \[ C(1) = 25 \times (1 - 0.03)^1 = 25 \times 0.97 = 24.25 \text{ mg} \]

  2. After 2 hours: \[ C(2) = 25 \times (1 - 0.03)^2 = 25 \times 0.97^2 \approx 25 \times 0.9409 \approx 23.52 \text{ mg} \]

  3. After 3 hours: \[ C(3) = 25 \times (1 - 0.03)^3 = 25 \times 0.97^3 \approx 25 \times 0.9127 \approx 22.82 \text{ mg} \]

  4. After 4 hours: \[ C(4) = 25 \times (1 - 0.03)^4 = 25 \times 0.97^4 \approx 25 \times 0.8858 \approx 22.14 \text{ mg} \]

You can continue this process for any number of hours to find the remaining caffeine in the body. Adjust the time \( t \) as needed, and you can track how the caffeine concentration decreases over time!