Heat Energy

Question

Initial Temperature (°C) Final Temperature (°C)
Water in Metal Can 80 45
Water in Styrofoam Cup 10 45

Students conducted a simple experiment to explore heat transfer. They constructed the closed system you see here: a metal soda can inside a styrofoam cup. The metal can was filled with 80°C water and placed into the styrofoam cup containing colder water, 10°C. The students predicted that the water in the metal can would decrease in temperature while the water temperature inside the cup would increase. Base on the student data recorded in the data table, the prediction was correct. Explain how the transfer of heat energy occurred. Select ALL the statements that could apply.
Responses
A Heat energy travels from high to low until equilibrium is met.Heat energy travels from high to low until equilibrium is met.
B Heat is transferred from one location to another via particle collisions.Heat is transferred from one location to another via particle collisions.
C The hot water had the highest temperature,and the greatest potential energy.The hot water had the highest temperature,and the greatest potential energy.
D The water in the can had less kinetic energy than the water in the outside cup.The water in the can had less kinetic energy than the water in the outside cup.
E Particle collisions transferred that energy from the hot water, to the can, and then to the cooler water.

Answer 1

To explain how the transfer of heat energy occurred in the described experiment, we can select the following statements that apply:

A: Heat energy travels from high to low until equilibrium is met.
This statement is accurate, as heat naturally flows from an area of higher temperature (the hot water in the metal can) to an area of lower temperature (the cooler water in the styrofoam cup) until thermal equilibrium is reached.

B: Heat is transferred from one location to another via particle collisions.
This statement is also correct, as heat transfer occurs through the collision of particles, which facilitates the movement of thermal energy from the hotter substance to the cooler one.

C: The hot water had the highest temperature, and the greatest potential energy.
This statement is misleading. While the hot water does have the highest temperature, potential energy refers to stored energy based on position or state, not temperature. Heat in this context is more accurately described by kinetic energy related to the temperature of the water.

D: The water in the can had less kinetic energy than the water in the outside cup.
This statement is incorrect. The water in the metal can started at a higher temperature (80°C) than the water in the styrofoam cup (10°C), meaning it had more kinetic energy, not less.

E: Particle collisions transferred that energy from the hot water, to the can, and then to the cooler water.
This statement is correct, as it describes the mechanism of heat transfer: heat energy is transferred from the hot water to the can through particle collisions, and then from the can to the cooler water in the cup through further collisions.

In summary, the effective statements that explain the process are A, B, and E.