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Hot water freezes faster than cold water?
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by
on 2007-04-04 07:23:47 |
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Question: If you have two cups with the same amount of water and the same type of cup, except that one cup is filled with cold tap water and the other is filled with boiling hot water, which cup would freeze first if both cups were placed next to each other inside the freezer at the same time? The logical answer: The glass with boiling hot water in it will not freeze when you put it in the freezer. Rather, the glass will shatter and you'll have a mess to clean up due to the extremes in the temperature of the water in the glass and the freezing cold temperature of the freezer that the glass cannot stand. Therefore, the only glass left to withstand the temperature is the cold water in the glass. Since it is the only glass remaining (and since we know it WON'T shatter) then it is logical to say that it will be the winner. Of course the logical answer is in jest, although plausible. The scientific answer: Yes but there are several factors. The interesting point of contention is that while there are a number of theories to justify the case, the proof of any one theory is debatable. Working backwards from an empirical answer is not an easy task as commonly expected. *grins*  |
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Re: Hot water freezes faster than cold water?
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That doesn't come as a surprise to me. They do say, however, that it only happens under certain conditions. IF the experiment is performed with a closed water containers, and in an identically heat-absorbing environments, colder water would freeze faster, since it has less potential energy stored in it's molecules.
~roll away!
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Re: Hot water freezes faster than cold water?
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by
on 2007-04-05 10:52:16 |
It was a very interesting article. I wonder if this phenomenon shows up for other substance besides water, things like molten metal or organic solvents.  |