Question

Oil is heated in a pan on a hot plate. The pan is in thermal equilibrium with the hot plate and also with the oil. The temperature of the hot plate is 150 °C . What is the temperature of the oil?

a) 150 °C
b) The temperature cannot be determined without additional information
c) The temperature of the oil will be higher than 150 °C
d) The temperature of the oil will be lower than 150 °C

Answer 1

When the oil is in thermal equilibrium with the hot plate at 150 °C, the temperature of the oil is also 150 °C.

Step-by-step explanation:

If the oil is heated in a pan on a hot plate and the pan is in thermal equilibrium with both the hot plate and the oil, it implies that there is no net heat transfer between the pan and the oil or the hot plate. This means that all parts of the system have reached the same temperature. Thus, the temperature of the oil would be the same as the temperature of the hot plate, which is given as 150 °C. Therefore, the correct answer to the question 'What is the temperature of the oil?' is b) 150 °C.