Question

One student says that the sidewalk gets warm on a hot day because the sunlight creates more thermal energy. Which law could be used to prove him wrong?

a) Law of Balance
b) Second Law of Heat
c) First Law of Thermodynamics
d) Third Law of Thermodynamics

Answer 1

The warming of a sidewalk on a hot day is due to the transfer of energy from sunlight, as described by the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement that the sidewalk gets warm on a hot day because the sunlight creates more thermal energy involves understanding heat transfer and thermodynamics. While it may seem that sunlight directly creates thermal energy, in reality, the sunlight is transferring energy to the sidewalk, causing it to warm up. The law that applies to this situation is the first law of thermodynamics, also known as the law of conservation of energy. This law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. Therefore, the warm sidewalk is a result of the transfer of energy from the sun to the sidewalk, rather than the creation of new thermal energy.