Question

Question

A fisherman in a boat is drinking a cup of hot coffee. The large lake below his boat is full of cold water. Which statement is an accurate comparison of the lake water and the coffee?(1 point)
Responses

The coffee will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.
The coffee will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.

The lake will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.
The lake will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.

The coffee will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.
The coffee will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.

The lake will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.

Answer 1

To determine the accurate comparison of thermal energy and particle motion between the coffee and the lake water, let's analyze each option:

1. The coffee will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.

   • This statement is misleading; while coffee may have a higher temperature, the total thermal energy depends on both temperature and the amount of substance (mass). Given that the lake water is vast compared to the coffee, the lake likely has more total thermal energy.

2. The lake will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the lake water will be moving faster.

   • This statement isn't correct because even though the lake has more thermal energy, the temperature of the coffee is higher, which might imply faster particle motion in the coffee due to its higher temperature compared to the cold lake water.

3. The coffee will have more total thermal energy, and the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.

   • This statement is also misleading for the same reasons as the first option; while the particles in coffee may be moving faster due to its higher temperature, the total thermal energy of the coffee would still be less than that of the large amount of cold lake water.

4. The lake will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.

   • This is the most accurate statement. The lake has significantly more total thermal energy due to its larger volume, even though the temperature of the coffee is higher, resulting in faster-moving particles in the coffee.

Therefore, the most accurate comparison is:

The lake will have more total thermal energy, but the particles in the coffee will be moving faster.