A metal spoon at 55 °C is immersed in water at 20 °C and allowed to sit undisturbed
PHYSICS · Single correct · A Level · Physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics · Further mechanics and thermal physics
Problem
A metal spoon at 55 °C is immersed in water at 20 °C and allowed to sit undisturbed. Which of the following statements most accurately explains why the spoon cools over time?
(a) Coldness flows from the water into the spoon until both reach the same temperature.
(b) Because "heat rises," thermal energy in the spoon moves upward into the surrounding air, leaving the spoon cooler while it is submerged.
(c) Faster-moving particles in the spoon collide with slower-moving water molecules, transferring kinetic energy until their average kinetic energies become equal.
(d) Since water has a higher specific heat capacity than metal, heat must flow from a substance with lower heat capacity (the spoon) to one with higher heat capacity (the water), so the spoon cools.