Question

we pack two identical coolers for a picnic, placing twenty - four 355 ml soft drinks and 2.5 kg of ice in each. however, the drinks that we put into cooler a were refrigerated for several hours before they were packed in the cooler, while the drinks that we put into cooler b were at room temperature. when we open the two coolers three hours later, most of the ice in cooler a is still present, while nearly all of the ice in cooler b has melted. explain this difference.

Explanation:

The ice in cooler A has to absorb less heat to maintain its temperature because the drinks in cooler A were pre - refrigerated. In cooler B, the room - temperature drinks transfer more heat to the ice. According to the principle of heat transfer (the heat lost by the object is equal to the heat gained by the ice), more heat transfer in cooler B causes more ice to melt.

Answer:

The ice in cooler A has less heat to absorb from the pre - refrigerated drinks, so it melts less. The room - temperature drinks in cooler B transfer more heat to the ice, causing more ice to melt.