Asked by violet

Hot coffee in a mug cools over time and the mug warms up. Which describes the energy in this system?

The average kinetic energy of the particles in the mug decreases.
The average kinetic energy of the particles in the coffee increases.
Thermal energy from the mug is transferred to the coffee.
Thermal energy from the coffee is transferred to the mug.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Only this is correct: "Thermal energy from the coffee is transferred to the mug."

Explanation: heat flows from the hotter object (coffee) to the colder one (mug) until they reach the same temperature. That means the coffee's average kinetic energy (temperature) decreases and the mug's average kinetic energy increases.