Asked by violet

Jan is holding an ice cube. What causes the ice to melt?

Thermal energy from the ice is transferred to the air.
Thermal energy from Jan’s hand is transferred to the ice.
The air absorbs thermal energy from Jan’s hand.
Jan’s hand absorbs thermal energy from the ice.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
"Thermal energy from Jan’s hand is transferred to the ice."

Heat flows from the warmer object to the cooler one. Jan’s hand is warmer than the ice, so thermal energy is conducted into the ice (providing the latent heat of fusion) and causes it to melt. The other statements describe heat flowing the wrong way (or are secondary effects).