Final answer:
After the ice has melted in both cups, the cup with more water will have a higher temperature because it has a greater capacity to absorb and distribute the heat energy without experiencing a substantial temperature drop. Therefore, the correct answer is option A. The cup with less water
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the principle of thermal equilibrium and the concept of heat energy transfer. When two styrofoam cups contain water at the same temperature, but differing volumes, with an ice cube in each, the physical process involved is the transfer of heat energy from the water to the ice until it melts.
As the ice cubes are at 0°C, the temperature of the water and melted ice will remain at the melting point until all of the ice has melted.
The cup with more water contains more heat energy overall due to its larger volume, making it able to absorb more thermal energy from the melting ice without impacting its temperature as greatly as the cup with less water.
Therefore, once the ice has melted in both cups, the cup with more water will have a higher temperature, as it can distribute the absorbed energy over a greater mass of water without cooling as significantly.
Therefore, the correct answer is option A. The cup with less water