What Factors Affect the Rate of Heat Loss?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion explores several factors influencing heat loss, including the myth that boiling water freezes faster than cold water, which is debunked as false. Stirring coffee with a spoon increases heat loss by exposing more surface area to cooler air. A thermos bottle retains heat due to its vacuum insulation, which prevents heat conduction. In a vacuum, a hot substance loses heat more slowly than it would in air, primarily due to the lack of conductive contact. The conversation hints at the participants being students discussing a post-lab assignment.
franz32
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Hello again...

1. Some claim that the freezer makes ice faster if one pours boiling water instead of cold water on the ice trays. Is this true? How come?

2. If one intend to drink a coffee soon, he has to stir it with teaspoon. How does that help?

3. How does a thermos bottle keep the water inside hot for a longer period? First of all, what is all about the structure of the thermos bottle?

4. Would there be a faster or slower rate of fall in temperature of a hot substance placed in vacuum at lower temperature? Why or why not?
 
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1. There is no "how come"- it's false! The colder the water is to start with, the less time it will take to get to freezing.
(It is true that is you boil water before freezing it, you take some dissolved air out so that the ice cubes will be clearer- looks nicer at parties!)

2. Stirring with a spoon (I wasn't aware it had to be a teaspoon- why not use a coffee spoon?) exposes more of the coffee to the cooler air and incorporates some air into the coffee itself.

3. A thermos bottle has vacuum between the bottle itself and its outside cover. heat cannot conduct through vacuum.

4. Faster or slower than what? If you mean "than if it were not in a vacuum", being in a vacuum means it is not in contact with anything (like air) cooler than itself and so no heat conducts away. It will still lose heat through radiation but it will lose heat slower.
 
wait a minute...

hhmmmmm... for some reason... those questions sound very familar... they're a post lab assignment!

Who are you franz32? from manila... hehe... you're a student aren't you...?
 
Kindly see the attached pdf. My attempt to solve it, is in it. I'm wondering if my solution is right. My idea is this: At any point of time, the ball may be assumed to be at an incline which is at an angle of θ(kindly see both the pics in the pdf file). The value of θ will continuously change and so will the value of friction. I'm not able to figure out, why my solution is wrong, if it is wrong .
TL;DR Summary: I came across this question from a Sri Lankan A-level textbook. Question - An ice cube with a length of 10 cm is immersed in water at 0 °C. An observer observes the ice cube from the water, and it seems to be 7.75 cm long. If the refractive index of water is 4/3, find the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. I could not understand how the apparent height of the ice cube in the water depends on the height of the ice cube immersed in the water. Does anyone have an...
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