Question

If you place 0°C ice into 0°C water in an insulated container, what will the net result be? Will there be less ice and more liquid water, or more ice and less liquid water, or will the amounts stay the same?

a) Less ice and more liquid water.

b) More ice and less liquid water.

c) The amounts will stay the same.

d) It depends on the container material.

Answer 1

The amounts of ice and liquid water will stay the same.

Step-by-step explanation:

The amounts will stay the same.

When you place 0°C ice into 0°C water in an insulated container, the net result will be that the amounts of ice and liquid water will stay the same. This is because the ice and water are already at the same temperature and in thermal equilibrium. The energy transferred between the ice and water will be used for phase changes (melting and freezing) and not for changing the overall amounts of ice and liquid water.

An example of this can be seen in the process of melting ice cubes in a glass of water. As long as the ice and water are in thermal contact and in an insulated container, the ice will continue to melt, turning into liquid water, while an equal amount of water will freeze, turning into ice. Therefore, the amounts of ice and liquid water will remain the same.