While Felicia is stirring her hot coffee with a metal spoon, she gets called away. She sets the coffee on the desk and then forgets to come back for it before going home for the weekend. How long will conduction between the spoon and the hot coffee occur?
Answer
A
Conduction will occur until the spoon is hotter than the coffee.
B
Conduction will occur until the spoon is at room temperature and the coffee gets cold.
C
Conduction will occur until the spoon is removed from the coffee after the weekend.
D
Conduction will occur until the spoon and coffee are the same temperature.
Explanation
Heat flows by conduction from the hotter coffee to the cooler metal spoon as long as there is a temperature difference. This continues until the spoon and coffee reach the same temperature, called thermal equilibrium. They may later cool toward room temperature, but that does not determine how long conduction occurs between the spoon and coffee.
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