A lab technician took two identical vials of flu vaccine out of a laboratory refrigerator. She left one near the refrigerator and put the other on a counter near a window. This table shows how the temperature of each vial changed over 20minutes.

Question

Vial Initial temperature (°C) Final temperature (°C)
Vial near the window 3.2 6.7
Vial near the refrigerator 2.1 5.6
The next time the lab technician takes a vial of flu vaccine out of the refrigerator, she does not want it to warm up quickly. What should she do to minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer into the vial?
A.put the vial near the window
B. put the vial near the refrigerator
C.either the thermal energy transfer is the same whether the vial is near the refrigerator or the window

Answer 1

To minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer into the vial of flu vaccine, the lab technician should choose the option that keeps the vial at a lower temperature for a longer time.

Looking at the data given, the vial near the window experienced a greater temperature increase (from 3.2 °C to 6.7 °C) compared to the vial near the refrigerator, which went from 2.1 °C to 5.6 °C.

Therefore, the best choice to minimize thermal energy transfer into the vial is:

B. put the vial near the refrigerator.

This will help keep the vial at a lower temperature and reduce the rate of warming.