A child complains that his soup is too hot. His mother places an ice cube in the soup to cool it.
How will the soup's thermal energy behave?
• It will absorb thermal energy from the ice cube.
• It will be destroyed and disappear.
• It will flow from the soup to the ice cube.
• It will not react to the ice cube's presence.
The correct answer is: It will absorb thermal energy from the ice cube.
The correct answer is: It will flow from the soup to the ice cube.
When the ice cube is placed in the hot soup, the soup's thermal energy will transfer or flow from the soup to the ice cube. This is because heat always moves from hot objects to cooler objects in an attempt to reach thermal equilibrium. As a result, the soup's temperature will decrease, and the ice cube will melt as it absorbs the thermal energy from the hot soup.
The correct answer is: It will flow from the soup to the ice cube.
When the mother places an ice cube in the soup, the soup's thermal energy will behave by transferring heat from the hotter soup to the cooler ice cube. This process is called heat transfer, specifically conduction.
Thermal energy always flows from a higher temperature object to a lower temperature object until both objects reach thermal equilibrium, where their temperatures are equal. In this case, the soup is hotter than the ice cube, so the thermal energy in the soup will flow to the ice cube in an attempt to equalize their temperatures.
As the heat from the soup is transferred to the ice cube, it causes the soup to cool down. The ice cube, on the other hand, will absorb the thermal energy and start to melt. Eventually, if there is enough heat transfer, the soup and ice cube will reach the same temperature, and the soup will be cooled down to a more enjoyable temperature for the child.