Question

What happens to the temperature of a hot object as energy spreads out from it?

Answer 1

To solve this question we will be using the law of conservation of energy and the concept of zeroth law of thermodynamics. Understand that the hot body is considered hot relative to the environment it is kept in, that its surroundings have to be at a temperature lower than the body.

Complete answer:
When the body is warm, it consists of thermal energy and as the energy is transferred the body will eventually get cooler and the environment which is receiving this thermal energy will eventually get warmer.The above phenomenon occurs due to the fact that during the energy transfer, the energy always moves from the hotter element (the body) to the cooler object (here the environment).

According to the zeroth law of thermodynamics, this heat transfer will continue as long as the hotter object (the body) releasing heat energy, does not come in equilibrium or is at the same temperature as that of the surrounding environment or the cooler body.

Thus, from the above explanations we can say that the hotter object will be cooled down and the colder environment will get warmed up.

Note: Generally, these questions are accompanied with the problems on Newton’s law of cooling, which would ask the student about the value of the temperature of the body at a particular instant of time. All the theories of thermodynamics should be studied carefully and application related problems should be solved.