Cooling of Spheres: Why is it Different?

In summary: Meanwhile, the solid sphere will continue to radiate heat off of its surface until its internal heat source runs out.
  • #1
SandeshPhy
25
0
Why is it that two spheres,one hollow and other solid having same material and size and heated to same temperatures cool differently?
Precisely,why does hollow sphere cool faster than solid sphere?
 
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  • #2
The solid sphere has greater mass and therefore contain more energy when heated to a certain temp.
More energy to get rid if than a hollow sphere
 
  • #3
technician said:
The solid sphere has greater mass and therefore contain more energy when heated to a certain temp.
More energy to get rid if than a hollow sphere

But my question was about rate of cooling and not about total heat.
Why the hollow sphere cools at a faster "rate"?
 
  • #4
What rate are we talking about here? You have to be more specific when asking certain questions.

Are you asking why the hollow sphere cools down from a higher temperature to a lower temperature in less time than a solid sphere? In which case you have the answer from the previous posts - a solid sphere has more mass to cool down.
Here the rate dT/dt for hollow is > than that for solid sphere , where is temp of sphere.

Or are you asking why the hollow sphere looses more heat energy per degree in temperature differential between the sphere and the air - assuming it is in air - than the solid sphere. And in this case, the rates are the same - both spheres lose the same amount of heat energy with regards to the temperature differential at the surface.
Here the rate dQ/dT are the same for both spheres, where dQ is the amount of heat lost from the sphere, and dT is the temperature differential at the surface between air and sphere.

The solid sphere will thus take longer to cool since it has more heat energy to lose. Realize that heat energy from the solid sphere is moving from the interior to the surface via the temperature differential from the surface to the interior. A hollow sphere has no "heat" in its interior.
 
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  • #5
256bits said:
What rate are we talking about here?

Are you asking why the hollow sphere cools down from a higher temperature to a lower temperature in less time than a solid sphere? In which case you have the answer from the previous posts - a solid sphere has more mass to cool down.

Or are you asking why the hollow sphere looses more heat energy per degree in temperature differential between the sphere and the air - assuming it is in air - than the solid sphere. And in this case, the rates are the same - both spheres lose the same amount of heat energy with regards to the temperature differential at the surface.

The solid sphere will thus take longer to cool since it has more heat energy to lose. Realize that heat energy from the solid sphere is moving from the interior to the surface via the temperature differential from the surface to the interior. A hollow sphere has no "heat" in its interior.

I was talking about rate of cooling with respect to time.
 
  • #6
Then the explanation is that the interior of the hollow sphere is not heating the hollow sphere, but for the solid sphere, the interior is continually heating the surface, replacing energy that is extracted from the surface by cooling.
 
  • #7
If the two spheres have the same total temperature then the solid one has all of this energy distributed throughout the entire volume but a hollow sphere has all of this temperature concentrated at the surface. The rate of transfer of heat is proportional to the amount of energy that is exposed, since the hollow sphere has all of this energy sitting at the top it radiates off very quickly whereas the solid sphere has very little energy at the surface, this radiates slowly and is then replaced by some more heat as it goes.
You can try thinking of it as two hollow spheres, one has a whole lot of temperature at the surface while the other has a lot less but has a pile of hot coals sitting inside.
 
  • #8
SandeshPhy said:
Why is it that two spheres,one hollow and other solid having same material and size and heated to same temperatures cool differently?
Precisely,why does hollow sphere cool faster than solid sphere?

You could consider the solid sphere to be identical to a hollow sphere except that it is continually having its lost heat replenished by an internal heat source. So this hollow sphere is not going to cool until its internal heat source cools significantly.
 

1. What causes a sphere to cool down faster than other shapes?

Spheres have a smaller surface area compared to other shapes with the same volume. This means that there is less surface area for the heat to dissipate, allowing the sphere to cool down faster.

2. Does the material of the sphere affect its cooling rate?

Yes, the material of the sphere plays a significant role in its cooling rate. Materials with high thermal conductivity, such as metals, will cool down faster compared to materials with low thermal conductivity, such as wood or plastic.

3. How does the size of the sphere affect its cooling rate?

The size of the sphere also affects its cooling rate. Smaller spheres have a larger surface area to volume ratio, which means they have a larger surface area for heat to dissipate. This allows them to cool down faster than larger spheres.

4. Is the cooling rate of a sphere affected by its environment?

Yes, the environment can impact the cooling rate of a sphere. Factors such as air temperature, humidity, and air circulation can affect how quickly heat is transferred from the sphere's surface to the surrounding environment.

5. Can the shape of the sphere affect its cooling rate?

Yes, the shape of the sphere can also impact its cooling rate. Spheres with elongated or irregular shapes will have a larger surface area compared to a perfect sphere with the same volume. This means they will take longer to cool down as there is more surface area for heat to dissipate.

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