Internal energy is greater in a
A)cup of boiling-hot tea.
B)fire-engine pail of boiling-hot tea.
C)both the same

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The internal energy of a system depends on the total amount of substance present because it's a function of the total kinetic and potential energies of all the particles in the system. A fire-engine pail of boiling-hot tea contains more tea than a cup, meaning it has more particles whose motions contribute to the total internal energy. Therefore, the internal energy is greater in the fire-engine pail of boiling-hot tea.

Internal Energy Is Greater in a