Finn took two identical baked potatoes out of an oven. One potato was wrapped in foil and one was not. This table shows how the temperature of each baked potato changed over 30minutes.

Question

Baked potato Initial temperature (°C) Final temperature (°C)
Potato not wrapped in foil 103 69
Potato wrapped in foil 104 76
The next time Finn bakes a potato, he does not want it to cool down quickly. What should he do to minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer out of the baked potato?

A. leave the potato unwrapped
B. wrap the potato in foil
C. either the rate of thermal energy transfer is the same whether or not the potato is wrapped

Answer 1

To minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer out of the baked potato, Finn should choose option B. wrap the potato in foil.

The data shows that the potato wrapped in foil retained a higher final temperature (76 °C) compared to the unwrapped potato (69 °C), indicating that the foil helped to slow down the cooling process. Wrapping the potato in foil reduces heat loss by providing insulation, which helps to minimize thermal energy transfer to the surrounding environment.