A student takes the temperature of a bottle of liquid water and a tub filled with ice. The student then places the bottle of liquid water into the tub of ice. After 15 minutes, which of the follow best describes what happens to the temperature of each?

Question

a. The temperature of the ice increases, while the temperature of the water decreases
b. The temperature of the ice decreases, while the temperature of the water increases
c. Both the bottle and the ice stay the same temperature
d. The temperature of both the ice and water decrease.

Answer 1

The correct answer is:

a. The temperature of the ice increases, while the temperature of the water decreases.

Here's the reasoning: When the bottle of liquid water is placed into the tub filled with ice, heat will flow from the warmer water to the colder ice. As a result, the temperature of the water will decrease as it loses heat, while the temperature of the ice will increase as it absorbs heat. While the ice may initially remain at 0°C until it starts to melt, the overall temperature of the ice (and the ice-water mixture) will increase as the ice absorbs heat from the water. Therefore, option a best describes the situation.