Question

question it!
alicia performed an experiment on squash soup. she wanted to see whether stirring the soup would really help it cool down faster. she heated two 10 - ounce bowls of soup in a microwave for 120 seconds. then, she stirred one bowl of soup with a spoon for 60 seconds and let the other sit for 60 seconds. she used two thermometers to make measurements, and she recorded her data in the chart below.

temp of soup after heating (°f)	stir or let sit for 60 seconds?	temp after 60 seconds (°f)
150	let sit	145

1. sep constructing explanations describe the energy transformations involved in heating the soup in the microwave. which method of heat transfer is involved in heating the soup?
2. summarize data sets based on the data, summarize alicias results. describe how stirring the soup affects heat transfer.

Explanation:

Question 1

To answer this, we analyze the energy transformations and heat transfer in a microwave. Microwaves use electrical energy, which is converted to electromagnetic (microwave) energy. This electromagnetic energy is then absorbed by the soup, converting to thermal (heat) energy, increasing its temperature. The heat transfer method here is radiation, as microwaves (electromagnetic waves) transfer energy to the soup without direct contact or a medium for conduction/convection in the heating process.

We analyze the data: both soups started at 150°F. After 60 seconds, the stirred soup was 137°F, and the "let sit" soup was 145°F. The temperature drop for stirred: \( 150 - 137 = 13 \)°F; for "let sit": \( 150 - 145 = 5 \)°F. Stirring increased the rate of heat transfer (cooling) because it promotes convection (mixing hot and cold parts of the soup, exposing more surface area to the air for heat loss) and possibly conduction with the spoon, speeding up the transfer of thermal energy from the soup to the surroundings.

Answer:

Energy transformations: Electrical energy (from the microwave's power source) is converted to electromagnetic (microwave) energy, which then converts to thermal (heat) energy in the soup. The heat transfer method is radiation (microwaves transfer energy to the soup via electromagnetic waves).

Question 2