A box labeled Paint Bucket from Outside contains 9 low energy molecules, each marked 10. Below is another box labeled Paint Bucket in the Garage, containing 9 high energy molecules, each marked 18.

Question

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10. Flori has one bucket of paint outside and one bucket of paint in her garage. Both paint buckets are the same size and have the same number of molecules. She brings the bucket in from outside and is going to stack it on top of the bucket in the garage. The diagram above shows the buckets now, before they touch. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question.

How does the temperature of the garage bucket compare with the temperature of the outside bucket before the buckets touch? What will happen after the buckets have been touching for a while?

Responses

a
Before the buckets touch, the two buckets are different temperatures. Once the buckets are touching, both kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules of the two buckets until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures
Before the buckets touch, the two buckets are different temperatures. Once the buckets are touching, both kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules of the two buckets until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures

b
Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is hotter than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the cooler outside bucket will gain kinetic energy until the molecules of both buckets have an energy of 18, because hotter things increase the temperature of cooler things.
Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is hotter than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the cooler outside bucket will gain kinetic energy until the molecules of both buckets have an energy of 18, because hotter things increase the temperature of cooler things.

c
Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is cooler than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the hotter outside bucket will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler garage bucket until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.
Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is cooler than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the hotter outside bucket will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler garage bucket until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

d
Before the buckets touch, the garage bucket is hotter than the outside bucket. Once the buckets are touching, the garage bucket will transfer kinetic energy to the molecules in the cooler outside bucket until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.

Answer 1

To compare the temperatures of the two buckets before they touch, we analyze the energy levels of the molecules in each bucket. The molecules in the bucket labeled "Paint Bucket from Outside" have a lower energy of 10, while those in the bucket labeled "Paint Bucket in the Garage" have a higher energy of 18.

Therefore, the bucket in the garage (with high energy molecules) is hotter than the bucket outside (with low energy molecules).

After the buckets have been touching for some time, there will be a transfer of kinetic energy from the hotter garage bucket to the cooler outside bucket until thermal equilibrium is reached—that is, they will both reach the same temperature, which will be between their initial temperatures.

Thus, the correct response is a:

Before the buckets touch, the two buckets are different temperatures. Once the buckets are touching, both kinetic energy and cold energy will transfer between the molecules of the two buckets until both buckets reach the same temperature, which will be in between their starting temperatures.