Question

In this experiment, metal blocks close to a temperature of 90o c are placed in water that is normally between 4o and 6o c. Some might guess that the equiLiBrium temperature is the average, or somewhere around 47o c. The equiLiBrium temperature is actually much closer to that of the initial temperature of water. Describe what factors contribute to keeping the equiLiBrium temperature so low?

Answer 1

The equilibrium temperature is kept low due to the high specific heat capacity of water, rapid heat transfer from metal to water, and the influence of the initial temperature of water.

Step-by-step explanation:

The equilibrium temperature in the given experiment is much closer to that of the initial temperature of water (4-6°C) rather than the average temperature. There are several factors that contribute to keeping the equilibrium temperature low:

1. The specific heat capacity of water is significantly higher than that of metal. Water requires more energy to raise its temperature compared to metal, so when the metal is placed in water, it absorbs a large amount of heat, causing its temperature to drop while the temperature of water rises only slightly.
2. Due to the difference in thermal conductivity, the metal rapidly transfers heat to surrounding water molecules, causing its temperature to decrease.
3. The mass of water is much larger than the mass of the metal, so the initial temperature of the water has a greater influence on the equilibrium temperature.