Suppose you added a spoonful of sugar to hot water and another to ice-cold water. Which type of water will cause the sugar to dissolve more quickly?
The hot water will cause the sugar to dissolve more quickly.
The hot water will cause the sugar to dissolve more quickly compared to the ice-cold water.
To determine which type of water will cause the sugar to dissolve more quickly, we need to understand the factors that affect the rate of dissolution. Two primary factors are temperature and stirring.
According to the principle of solubility, when temperature increases, the solubility of most substances also increases. In other words, hot water can typically dissolve more solute (in this case, sugar) than cold water. So, in this scenario, it is more likely that the sugar will dissolve more quickly in hot water.
However, it's important to note that the rate of stirring also affects the dissolution process. Stirring helps to increase the contact between the solute and the solvent, allowing them to mix more effectively. If the hot water is left undisturbed while the cold water is vigorously stirred, it might be possible to dissolve the same amount of sugar in both cases, or even dissolve it faster in the cold water due to the increased mixing.
In summary, based solely on temperature, the sugar is more likely to dissolve more quickly in hot water. However, stirring can have a significant impact on the rate of dissolution, and if the cold water is stirred more vigorously, it may dissolve the sugar faster than the hot water.