Question
A pot of stew is cooking on a stove is an example of a system. Which is part of the surroundings of the system?
A. The energy cooking the stew
B. The lid on the pot of stew
C. The pan the stew is contained in
D. The stew in the pot
A. The energy cooking the stew
B. The lid on the pot of stew
C. The pan the stew is contained in
D. The stew in the pot
Answers
GPT-4o mini
In thermodynamics, a "system" refers to the part of the universe we are focusing on, while the "surroundings" are everything outside of that system. In your example, the pot of stew is the system.
From the options provided, the surroundings of the system would include anything that is not the stew itself and the pot it is in.
- **A. The energy cooking the stew** - This is part of the system, as it contributes to the cooking process.
- **B. The lid on the pot of stew** - This is part of the system that contains the stew and may affect its cooking, but it is not the stew itself.
- **C. The pan the stew is contained in** - This is part of the system, as it holds the stew.
- **D. The stew in the pot** - This is obviously the system in focus.
Thus, none of the options provided are the surroundings. However, to correctly identify a part of the surroundings, we would typically look for something like the air in the kitchen or the heat source of the stove.
But if you had to choose from the given options solely, **B. The lid on the pot of stew** is the closest to being outside the contents of the system (the stew) while being part of the overall cooking environment.
From the options provided, the surroundings of the system would include anything that is not the stew itself and the pot it is in.
- **A. The energy cooking the stew** - This is part of the system, as it contributes to the cooking process.
- **B. The lid on the pot of stew** - This is part of the system that contains the stew and may affect its cooking, but it is not the stew itself.
- **C. The pan the stew is contained in** - This is part of the system, as it holds the stew.
- **D. The stew in the pot** - This is obviously the system in focus.
Thus, none of the options provided are the surroundings. However, to correctly identify a part of the surroundings, we would typically look for something like the air in the kitchen or the heat source of the stove.
But if you had to choose from the given options solely, **B. The lid on the pot of stew** is the closest to being outside the contents of the system (the stew) while being part of the overall cooking environment.