how does tea flavor spread from a tea bag throughout a cup of hot water?
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Study this site.
http://www.ehow.com/info_8609725_diffusion-osmosis-lesson-activities.html
Tea flavor spreads from a tea bag throughout a cup of hot water through a process called diffusion. Diffusion is the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration.
When a tea bag is immersed in hot water, the hot water causes the molecules in the tea leaves to become more active, which allows them to break down and dissolve. As the tea leaves dissolve, flavor compounds and other soluble molecules are released into the water. These flavor compounds and molecules are initially in high concentration in the tea bag and begin to spread out into the surrounding water.
The process of diffusion helps distribute these flavor compounds evenly throughout the cup of hot water. As the molecules move randomly, they collide with other water molecules, causing them to disperse throughout the cup. The molecules continue to move and collide until an equilibrium is reached, meaning the concentration of flavor compounds becomes consistent throughout the cup.
Factors such as temperature, steeping time, and agitation can affect the rate and extent of flavor diffusion. Hotter water and longer steeping times generally result in more thorough diffusion and stronger flavor extraction.
That's how the tea flavor spreads from a tea bag throughout a cup of hot water through the process of diffusion.