A student sets up four cups with 40 mL of water in each and adds different amounts of ice to each cup. The student measures the temperature of the water before and after the ice melts in each cup. Which statement describes how the student can determine the connection between the temperature change and the transfer of kinetic energy?

Question

a. The cup with the greatest temperature change has the greatest transfer of kinetic energy, and this transfer occurs from the ice to the water.
b. The cup with the greatest temperature change has the least transfer of kinetic energy, and this transfer occurs from the water to the ice.
c. The cup with the greatest temperature change has the least transfer of kinetic energy, and this transfer occurs from the ice to the water.
d. The cup with the greatest temperature change has the greatest transfer of kinetic energy, and this transfer occurs from the water to the ice.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

d. The cup with the greatest temperature change has the greatest transfer of kinetic energy, and this transfer occurs from the water to the ice.

In this scenario, when ice is added to the warm water, thermal energy (kinetic energy associated with the motion of particles) transfers from the warmer water to the colder ice. As the ice absorbs this energy, it melts, leading to a decrease in the temperature of the water. The greater the amount of ice or the more kinetic energy transferred, the larger the temperature change observed in the water. Thus, the statement correctly describes the relationship between temperature change and kinetic energy transfer.