Question

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A marine biologist measured the amount of heat radiated from an aquarium over the course of an experiment. His measurements are shown in the graph below.

Based on this data, he concludes that the aquarium cannot be considered an isolated system for this experiment. Explain how he came to this conclusion.

No energy is released by the aquarium over the course of the experiment.
The aquarium releases a significant amount of energy over the course of the experiment.
The energy released from the aquarium does not decrease over the course of the experiment.
The measured energy from the aquarium is more than one joule over the course of the experiment.

Answer 1

The marine biologist concluded that the aquarium is not an isolated system because the data showed that it released a significant amount of energy, indicating an exchange of energy with its surroundings. An isolated system would not allow for such an energy exchange.

Step-by-step explanation:

The marine biologist concluded that the aquarium cannot be considered an isolated system because the graph indicated that the aquarium released a significant amount of energy over the course of the experiment. In an isolated system, neither energy nor matter is exchanged with the surroundings. Thus, if the measured energy released from the aquarium is significant, this means that the aquarium must have been exchanging energy with its surroundings, thereby making it either an open system or a closed system, but not an isolated one.

The biologist's conclusion likely stems from observing that the energy exchange was continuous rather than absent or diminishing over time, suggesting that the insulation was not preventing energy transfer. In closed systems, energy can be exchanged with the surroundings, which is what seems to be occurring in the case of the aquarium based on the heat radiation measurements.