Thermodynamics

An ice cube is placed on a table and begins to melt.  The following conclusion can be made.

• Energy is being absorbed by the table which causes the cube to melt.
• Energy is being transferred from the table to the ice cube.
• Energy is being created by the air and table and making the cube heat up.

A piece of metal feels cold in your hand.  What is the explanation for this occurrence?

• The metal has a high specific heat capacity and removes heat from your hand.
• The metal transfers cold energy to your hand making it cold.
• The metal absorbs energy from your hand due to the low specific heat capacity of metals.

The specific heat capacity of silver is 0.24 J/^oCg.  Calculate the energy required to raise the temperature of 150 grams of silver from 273 K to 298 K.

• 10728 J
• 9828 J
• 900 J
• More info needed

Which of the following is NOT true when two systems with unequal temperatures come into contact with one another?

• Heat will flow until thermal equilibrium is reached
• No net heat flow occurs once thermal equilibrium is reached
• Entropy is reduced during the process
• The natural flow of heat will be from the warmer system to the colder system

When one end of a cold metal spoon is placed upright in a cup of hot coffee, the other end eventually gets warmer. On the scale of the molecules of the spoon, which of the following is the primary explanation of this phenomenon?

• Warmer molecules will rise to the top
• The hot molecules produce thermal radiation that is then absorbed by the colder molecules. 
• Higher-energy molecules hit lower-energy molecules, increasing their speed and thus their temperature.
• Hotter areas have more molecules, which will flow upwards from areas of high concentration to low concentration.

If systems 2 and 3 are both at thermal equilibrium with system 1, which of the following must be true?

• Systems 2 and 3 are in thermal equilibrium with each other
• System 2 has a higher temperature than system 3
• System 3 has a higher temperature than system 2
• Systems 2 and 3 are not in thermal equilibrium with each other

A solid copper ball with a mass of 50g and a temperature of 30 degrees Celsius is placed on a sheet of ice at 0 °C, which then melts. If 50g of water at the same temperature were poured on the ice, would it melt the same amount of ice as the copper ball?

• The water would melt more ice
• The water would melt less ice
• The water would melt the same amount of ice
• Neither would melt any ice

A sealed container of air is kept at a constant temperature. What will happen to the average kinetic energy of the molecules of air in the container as time passes?

• The molecules will obey the second law of thermodynamics. Eventually, there will be no deviations in the speed of kinetic energy of the air molecules whatsoever. 
• Some molecules will speed up and others will slow down, but the average speed and kinetic energy will be constant.
• The molecules will slow down, decreasing their average kinetic energy.
• There will be no change

Convection can occur in which of the following substances? 

• Solids, Liquids
• Liquids, Gasses
• Liquids, Bose-Einstein condensate
• Solids, Gasses

Which statement must be true regarding two systems of unequal temperature that come in contact with one another?

• The final temperature will be the average of the two systems’ temperatures
• The final temperature will be greater than that of the warmer system
• There will be a decrease in total energy
• The total amount of thermal energy will be constant