Four people are putting their laptop computers away. Mari puts her laptop on Sam’s laptop, and Arun puts his laptop on Odessa’s laptop. The diagram above shows the laptops before they touch each other. Use the information in the diagram to answer the question.

Question

After the laptops have been touching for a while, will Sam’s laptop or Odessa’s laptop be cooler, and why?

Responses

a
Sam’s laptop will be cooler than Odessa’s laptop, because less energy has to transfer for the molecules of Sam’s laptop to reach the same temperature as the molecules of Arun’s laptop.
Sam’s laptop will be cooler than Odessa’s laptop, because less energy has to transfer for the molecules of Sam’s laptop to reach the same temperature as the molecules of Arun’s laptop.

b
Both laptops will be the same temperature, because both Arun’s and Mari’s laptops had the same amount of energy to transfer and the molecules in Sam’s and Odessa’s laptops started with the same energy.
Both laptops will be the same temperature, because both Arun’s and Mari’s laptops had the same amount of energy to transfer and the molecules in Sam’s and Odessa’s laptops started with the same energy.

c
Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because Odessa’s started with more total energy, so less energy has to transfer for her and Arun’s laptops to reach the same total energy.
Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because Odessa’s started with more total energy, so less energy has to transfer for her and Arun’s laptops to reach the same total energy.

d
Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because the energy that transferred to Odessa’s was spread out over more molecules.

Answer 1

To determine which laptop will be cooler after they have been touching for a while, we need to analyze the energy transfer between the laptops based on the scenario provided.

When Mari puts her laptop on Sam's laptop, and Arun puts his laptop on Odessa's laptop, the transfer of heat will depend on the initial temperatures of the laptops and how energy spreads between them.

Let's analyze the options:

a) This option suggests that Sam’s laptop will be cooler because it requires less energy transfer to reach the same temperature. However, the reasoning seems off since the energy transfer and temperature equilibration depend on their initial conditions and heat capacities.

b) This option states that both laptops will end up at the same temperature, assuming they started with the same energy. However, without specifics on their initial temperatures, this statement cannot necessarily be true.

c) This option claims that Odessa’s laptop will be cooler because it started with more total energy. This reasoning seems flawed; typically, laptops that start with more energy (i.e., higher temperature) could end up being warmer unless specific conditions apply.

d) This option states that Odessa’s laptop may be cooler because the energy transferred to it was spread over more molecules. This concept aligns with the idea of thermal energy distribution; if Odessa’s laptop has a larger surface area or is made of materials that spread the energy differently, it might reach a lower temperature more effectively.

Given the context and common principles of thermal conduction and heat transfer, option d appears to be the most logical. The reasoning is that as energy transfers to Odessa’s laptop, if it is spread over more molecules, it would result in a lower temperature compared to Sam’s laptop.

Therefore, the best answer is:

d Odessa’s laptop will be cooler than Sam’s laptop, because the energy that transferred to Odessa’s was spread out over more molecules.