A pot of soup, currently 74°C above room temperature, is left out to cool. If that temperature difference decreases by 5% per minute, then what will the difference be in 14 minutes?
If necessary, round your answer to the nearest tenth.
We can find the temperature difference after each minute using the formula:
temperature difference after n minutes = initial temperature difference * (1 - rate of decrease)^n.
For this problem, the initial temperature difference is 74°C, and the rate of decrease is 5%. So, after 14 minutes, the temperature difference will be:
temperature difference after 14 minutes = 74 * (1 - 0.05)^14
= 74 * (0.95)^14
≈ 47.85°C.
Rounded to the nearest tenth, the temperature difference after 14 minutes is approximately 47.9°C. Answer: \boxed{47.9}.