Question

four 1-kg cylinders are heated to 100c and placed on top of a block of paraffin wax, which melts at 63c. there is one cylinder made from lead, one of copper, one of aluminum, and one of iron. after a ew minutes, it is observed that the cylinders have sunk into the paraffin wax to differing depths. rank the depths of the cylinders from deepest to shallowest?

Answer 1

The depth to which each cylinder sinks into the paraffin wax depends on the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of the materials. Lead sinks the deepest, followed by copper, aluminum, and iron.

Step-by-step explanation:

The depth to which each cylinder sinks into the paraffin wax depends on the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of the materials.

The thermal conductivity measures how easily heat can transfer through a material. Materials with higher thermal conductivity will transfer heat more quickly, causing them to sink deeper into the wax. Lead has the highest thermal conductivity, copper has the second highest, followed by aluminum, and then iron with the lowest thermal conductivity. Therefore, the cylinders will sink into the wax in the following order from deepest to shallowest: Lead, copper, aluminum, iron.