Question

if 100 j of thermal energy is transferred from a hot object to a cooler one in a closed system, what is the total energy change in the system?
100 j is gained
100 j is lost
energy is destroyed during transfer
0 j (energy remains constant)

Answer 1

In a closed system, the law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred from one object to another. In this scenario, when 100 J of thermal energy is transferred from the hot object to the cooler one, the hot object loses 100 J of energy, while the cooler object gains 100 J of energy.

Thus, the total energy change in the system is:

- The hot object loses 100 J (energy lost).
- The cooler object gains 100 J (energy gained).

Since the energy lost by one object is equal to the energy gained by the other, the total energy change in the closed system remains constant.

The correct answer is:
**0 J (energy remains constant)**.