Question

A student touches a freshly baked cake that was taken out of the oven. Which best explains why the cake feels hot?
Molecules in the skin are moving faster than molecules in the cake.
Molecules in the cake are moving faster than molecules in the skin.
The kinetic energy of molecules in the cake is more than the energy in the baking tray.
The kinetic energy of molecules in the baking tray is more than the energy in the cake.

Answer 1

Molecules in the cake are moving faster than molecules in the skin.

Explanation: Temperature reflects the average kinetic energy of molecules. The cake is hotter, so its molecules have higher average kinetic energy than the skin’s molecules; heat flows from the cake to the skin, making it feel hot.