Question

Which cools at the faster rate, a pot of boiling/hot water left at room temperature? Or a same-size pot of lukewarm water left at room temperature?

Please explain why though? I know it is the boiling water, but why? Shouldn't it be the lukewarm water?

Answer 1

You're right that the boiling water will cool faster than the lukewarm water. This is because of something called "latent heat," which is the energy required to change a material from one phase (e.g., liquid or solid) to another (e.g., vapor). When you put hot water at room temperature, it has more latent heat than lukewarm water and so it releases more of its stored energy as heat in order to reach equilibrium with the environment. That's why it cools down faster!

Answer 2

The pot of boiling/hot water will cool at a faster rate than the same-size pot of lukewarm water left at room temperature. This is because the boiling/hot water has more energy than the lukewarm water and is thus more likely to transfer energy to its surroundings. When energy is transferred, the temperature of the pot of boiling/hot water will decrease, while the temperature of the lukewarm water will remain relatively unchanged. This transfer of energy is called conduction, and it is the process by which heat is transferred from one object to another.

Step-by-step explanation:

see above