What is the difference between adding heat and adding cold?

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The discussion centers on the debate about whether "adding cold" is a valid concept, with one party asserting that only heat can be added or removed from a system. The opposing view suggests that "adding cold" is simply a different way of describing the removal of heat, emphasizing that both terms refer to energy transfer. Participants highlight that in physics, heat transfer occurs from a hotter body to a colder one, reinforcing the idea that cold is the absence of heat rather than a separate entity. The conversation also touches on the subjective nature of temperature perception and the importance of understanding energy transfer in thermodynamics. Ultimately, the consensus leans towards recognizing that both heating and cooling are processes of energy transfer, with no physical reality to "adding cold."
  • #61
The opposite, "heating" with no temperature change is observed quite frequently, though most don't notice. Melting ice can absorb a lot of "heat" -- but just as the ice was 0 degrees C before the state change, the water is 0 degrees after. As long as the heating is slow and even, the ice/water mixture will remain at 0 degrees C until all the ice has melted.
 

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