Cold Treats: A Fun Experiment with Ice Cream
What happens when Ella holds an ice cream cone in her hand?
In the given scenario, what can we observe about the particles that make up Ella's hand?
Explanation:
When Ella holds an ice cream cone in her hand, her hand starts to feel cold. This happens because the ice cream is at a lower temperature than her hand. The particles in the ice cream have less kinetic energy, causing them to move more slowly and thus feel cold to the touch.
When Ella holds the ice cream cone, heat energy from her hand is transferred to the ice cream which is at a lower temperature. This transfer of heat causes the particles in Ella's hand to slow down, making them feel cold. The faster-moving particles in Ella's hand come into contact with the slower-moving particles in the ice cream, resulting in a temperature difference.
This experiment demonstrates the concept of thermal energy transfer. When two objects at different temperatures come into contact, heat energy will flow from the warmer object to the cooler object until thermal equilibrium is reached. In this case, the ice cream absorbs heat from Ella's hand, causing her hand to feel cold.