Analysis
A technician is
involved with the purification step for a drug that uses a membrane to separate
the drug from its reaction by-products. The tech understands that the
separation is diffusion driven. Thus, after the tech installs the equipment and
it begins to operate she knows there will be no drug in the pure liquid at the
instant the equipment is turned on. The process
has a sensor in the pure liquid that only monitors the increase in the number of
drug molecules as a function of time. The
tech observed the data shown (in the graph below) immediately after the
equipment was turned on for the first time.
Usually, the puzzles
have a clear yes, or no answer expectation. This is one puzzle that someone can
have a Yes answer if the values on the time axis (puzzles usually do not have
values on either axis to drive students into "bigger picture" thought
processes) are in hours, then a yes argument can be made. However, if we assign
a shorter time frame, then the concentration went up way too fast. (There was a
hole, or holes in the membrane, or it was not installed properly are better
explanations why the "Amount of drug in the pure liquid" is so high
so quickly.) Either way, this a good
example of a class time closer where a quick discussion can set the stage to
think both ways.
Question: Did the Tech allow the equipment to keep running. Yes or NO
Question: Did the Tech allow the equipment to keep running. Yes or NO
Answer: NO
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