An ideal gas has a mixture of heavy and light molecules at the same
temperature. The molecules with the most KE are:
☐ heavy
☐ light
☑ same
The fact that desert sand is very hot in the day and very cold at night
is evidence that sand has a:
☑ low specific heat
☐ high specific heat
Thermal energy that is used to melt or freeze something is called:
☑ latent heat
☐ specific heat
☐ thermal mass
Ralph's professor stated "If you add an ice cube to a glass of water, the
temperature of the water does not necessarily decrease." That seems bizarre to
him, because ice is obviously used to cool down water! Can you help him
understand what his professor may have been talking about?
Water and ice can co-exist at 0 deg C. If the water is already at 0 deg C when the ice is added, the temperature of the water will not decrease further.