Simone has a mug of hot tea at a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius. She sets the mug on a counter in a room with an air temperature of 30 degrees Celsius. What is most likely to happen to the temperature of the hot tea?

Question

The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature.
The air will transfer the thermal energy into the tea and will continue to transfer energy until they both are at 90 degrees Celsius.
The air will transfer thermal energy into the tea and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature.
The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air and will continue to transfer energy until they both are at 90 degrees Celsius.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

The hot tea will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the tea is at room temperature.

When an object at a higher temperature (in this case, the hot tea) is placed in an environment with a lower temperature (the room air), thermal energy will flow from the hot object to the cooler surroundings. This process will continue until thermal equilibrium is reached, meaning the temperatures of the two objects become equal, which in this scenario will be at room temperature (30 degrees Celsius).