Question

A mother finds her daughter's mug of hot cocoa on a table an hour after she had been drinking it. As the mother pours out the cocoa, she sees brown solids in the bottom of the mug. How can this be explained?

Answer 1

The brown solids in the bottom of the mug are likely a result of the cocoa powder or chocolate settling at the bottom over time. When cocoa is mixed with hot liquid, it dissolves and creates a suspension. However, as the cocoa sits, the particles can clump together and gradually settle due to gravity, especially if the drink has cooled down. Additionally, if the hot cocoa was made with milk or other ingredients, the separation of fats or other components could contribute to solid residue. It's also possible that the cocoa powder didn't fully dissolve initially and some solid particles remained when the drink was poured. All these factors can lead to the formation of brown solids at the bottom of the mug after some time.