Emily made a cup of tea and stirred it with a spoon. The spoon became warm. How was the heat from the tea transferred to the spoon?
Question
Emily made a cup of tea and stirred it with a spoon. The spoon became warm. How was the heat from the tea transferred to the spoon?
Solution
The heat from the tea was transferred to the spoon through a process called conduction. Here's how it works:
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Emily pours hot tea into a cup. The tea is at a higher temperature than the spoon.
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She then places the spoon in the hot tea. The part of the spoon submerged in the tea comes into direct contact with the hot liquid.
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Heat energy from the hot tea particles is transferred to the cooler spoon particles they come into contact with. This is conduction, where heat is transferred through a solid (or between a solid and a liquid/gas in direct contact) from a region of high temperature to a region of low temperature.
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As more and more heat energy is transferred from the tea to the spoon, the spoon's temperature increases and it becomes warm to touch.
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The spoon will continue to get warmer until it reaches the same temperature as the tea, at which point heat transfer will stop because there is no longer a temperature difference.
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