Arrhenius equation and crickets

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aexum1
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2021 11:25 am
Occupation: Student

Arrhenius equation and crickets

Post by aexum1 »

I am working on a project to test the accuracy of cricket chirps to determine the temperature. Equations are listed in the farmers' almanac that can be used, but I also wanted to test the accuracy of those equations versus the Arrhenius equation since it has both constant and exponential factors. My issue is that I am having difficulty deciding what factors to use in place of my variables in the Arrhenius equation. Factors that would be relevant include number of cricket chirps and temperature, but there are still a few unassigned variables that I am having problems with. The equation I am wanting to use is: k=Ae^(Ea/RT), where k=rate constant, A=frequency factor, Ea=activation energy, R= universal constant, and T= temperature (C). R,T, and e are known already or will be known after completing the rest of the equation to determine the temperature. However, I cannot decide what else to factor into my equation, or if I should modify this equation so that it will be more relevant to my experiment. Please let me know if there are other factors I am missing for this project, or if you have any recommendations on how to modify this Arrhenius equation. Thanks!
17eugenekim
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Posts: 149
Joined: Sat Sep 01, 2018 4:14 pm
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Project Question: To assist others in the AAE forums
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Re: Arrhenius equation and crickets

Post by 17eugenekim »

Hi there,

Interesting project proposal you have here. I must say, I'm a bit confused on how exactly you intend to use the Arrhenius equation with crickets to determine the temperature. The Arrhenius equation is an equation that relates the speed of a chemical reaction to the activation energy and temperature of the reaction. Are you looking at a specific biochemical reaction in particular?

I'd advise that you read up more on the Arrhenius equation and how it's applied in science in general. I'm not too sure how you could proceed here -- remember that, if T is your unknown, every other variable has to be filled in for the equation to be solvable. However, T is almost never the unknown when using the Arrhenius equation because it's easier to stick a thermometer in your reaction than to figure out a way to measure the activation energy or rate constant (essentially impossible).

I suppose there may be other ways to solve the math, but I am not a mathematician -- my expertise is biology. :)

Please let us know if you have further questions -- I'd love to help you flesh out a full project. I'm just not sure this concept has legs.
carlstensfer102
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:37 am
Occupation: Student

Re: Arrhenius equation and crickets

Post by carlstensfer102 »

You have a very interesting idea! I am very interested to know if you have learned anything new in these almost 2 weeks since the first post. How long have you been working on this project?
Thanks in advance for the answer!
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