Final answer:
Newton's Law of Cooling best explains the process described in the question, which involves the cooling of a crucible and is governed by the rate of change of the temperature relative to the surroundings. Thus, the option a is the correct answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phenomenon described by the statement regarding the maximum time for cooling of a crucible is best explained by Newton's Law of Cooling. This law states that the rate at which an object cools is proportional to the temperature difference between the object and its surroundings. It is particularly relevant to the cooling of heated materials in a crucible in scientific experiments or industrial applications. Although the other options provided, including the Stefan-Boltzmann Law, Ohm's Law, and Fourier's Law, relate to heat and temperature, they do not specifically describe the cooling process of an object in the same manner as Newton's Law of Cooling.
The Stefan-Boltzmann Law, for instance, relates to the rate of heat transfer by emitted radiation from an object and is quantified by the equation P = σAeT4, with σ being the Stefan-Boltzmann constant, A the surface area, e the emissivity, and T the temperature in kelvins. This law is integral in understanding the radiative heat transfer in physics.