A container holds a quantity of liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -200 degrees C. Explain how each of the following could be used to warm up the nitrogen.
a)ice cubes
b)hot water bath
c)bubbling room air through the liquid
All these substances contain a lot amount of thermal energy so.... i don't know what to say, i know that its cause of the arrangement of their electrons that they are able to warm up and cool down at different rates, but I don't get how to answer this question. Im only posting the ones which Im having a tough time on, and this one is one of them.
arrangement of electrons? Nonsense.
Heat is molecules in motion: vibrating, rotating, or moving. The warmer substances transfer energy to the "slower" colder substances in collisions when in contact.
To warm up liquid nitrogen at -200 degrees Celsius, we need to transfer thermal energy to it. Let's explore how each of the following methods could be used to warm up the nitrogen:
a) Ice cubes:
Ice cubes can absorb heat from their surroundings to melt into water. During this process, the ice cubes transfer thermal energy to the liquid nitrogen, causing it to warm up. The heat transfer occurs because the ice is at a higher temperature (i.e., 0 degrees Celsius) than the liquid nitrogen. The ice cubes will continue to melt until they reach equilibrium with the liquid nitrogen, thereby raising its temperature.
b) Hot water bath:
A hot water bath can be used to warm up the liquid nitrogen by transferring thermal energy through conduction. By immersing the container holding liquid nitrogen in a hot water bath, the higher temperature of the water compared to the nitrogen will cause the transfer of heat to occur. The heat from the water molecules will conduct through the container walls to the liquid nitrogen, raising its temperature.
c) Bubbling room air through the liquid:
Bubbling room air through the liquid nitrogen can warm it up by transferring heat through convection. As the air bubbles rise through the liquid nitrogen, the warmer air surrounding the bubbles comes into contact with the nitrogen, transferring thermal energy through the process of convection. This continuous circulation of warmer air will gradually increase the temperature of the liquid nitrogen until it reaches equilibrium with the surrounding temperature.
In each of these methods, the transfer of thermal energy occurs due to the difference in temperature between the substances involved. The molecules of the warmer substance collide with the colder substance, transferring their thermal energy until both substances reach thermal equilibrium.