Jackson has a mug of hot chocolate at a temperature of 93℃. He sets the mig on a counter in a room with an air temperature of 25℃. What is most likely to happen to the temperature of the hot chocolate?

Question

Responses

The air will transfer thermal energy into the chocolate, and the energy transfer will continue until the chocolate is at room temperature.
The air will transfer thermal energy into the chocolate, and the energy transfer will continue until the chocolate is at room temperature.

The hot chocolate will transfer thermal energy into the air and will continue to transfer energy until they are both 93℃.
The hot chocolate will transfer thermal energy into the air and will continue to transfer energy until they are both 93℃.

The hot chocolate will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the chocolate is at room temperature.
The hot chocolate will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the chocolate is at room temperature.

The air will transfer thermal energy into the chocolate and will continue to transfer energy until they are both 93℃.

Answer 1

The correct response is:

The hot chocolate will transfer thermal energy into the air, and the energy transfer will continue until the chocolate is at room temperature.

In this scenario, the hot chocolate initially has a higher temperature (93℃) than the surrounding air (25℃). According to the second law of thermodynamics, heat will flow from the hotter object (the hot chocolate) to the cooler environment (the air) until thermal equilibrium is reached. Therefore, the hot chocolate will lose thermal energy and cool down toward room temperature.